Kill Bill: Three Months
by Bloody Satisfaction
Summary: I mourned you for three months... What happened during those three months? How did Bill track down Bea? How did Bea meet Tommy? What happened at Two Pines? This may help answer your questions. Update: 1118
1. Authors NotesChap1

**Author's Notes:**

Hi there! For those of you that don't know me I'm Jess and I'm an avid Kill Bill fan. A couple of months ago my friend Mel and I decided to write a fan fiction together. Our first work together was **Kill Bill the Prequel Volumes 1 and 2** which you can find in the fan fiction sections.

Anyway, on to the summary of this story, Kill Bill: Three Months. Why is this story called Three Months. Well, do you remember the quote from Bill, "I mourned you for three months and in the third month of mourning you, I track you down…" Well, Mel and I started thinking…what happened during those three months? How did Bill track down Beatrix? How did Bea meet Tommy? And eventually leading up to what happened at the Two Pines wedding chapel. This is basically what we think happened during those three months in between the volumes.

**NOTE 1:** Kill Bill: Three Months can be read as a separate story BUT it relates to the Kill Bill Prequel volumes we wrote. Meaning you may want to read the Prequel to get a feel for the way we write Q&U's characters and our basic writing style. If not, that's okay! And if you read the Prequels than just think of this as a continuation.

**NOTE 2:** This story is very much for those TRUE Kill Bill Fans. The story is very in depth and you really need to be willing to take in this story and really read it. It's long, but not as long as the Prequels.

Most of the information in this story is received from our own knowledge of the volumes and the original script. All of the characters from Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2 belong to Q&U. Only non-player-characters belong to me and my friend. All of the story plots are our own ideas based on information or future events.

This fic was rated PG-13 for drug references, gore, and sexual content. Basically everything that gave Volumes 1 & 2 an R rating but a touch more low key.

We hope you enjoy our take on what happened after Beatrix left Bill when she found out she was pregnant and what happened in between that three month span. Mel and I have worked hard on this fic and we hope you enjoy it! Reviews are loved and greatly appreciated!

Well, now that we have almost everything settled you can proceed to the first chapter. Enjoy!

Jess & Mel

**NOTE:** To prevent chapter confusion and what not the first chapter is collaborated with the Author's Notes so keep on scrolling down for the first chapter! Enjoy.

* * *

The soft glow of morning began to slip through the cracks in the curtain of the small apartment. A contour of body was nestled beneath the confines of the covers in the bedroom and that body did not move. Even with the distinctive and obnoxious buzzing of a nearby alarm clock echoed throughout the area, the room was dead silent. This continued for another five minutes until the alarm clock was violently knocked to the floor and a loud muffled groan came from the covers.

Thus emerged Beatrix Kiddo. She pulled off the covers and traveled to the washroom at a groggy pace. An hour went by until she came out of the washroom. She was clad in a pair of tight fitting blue jeans, taut with a brown suede belt that was decorated with a Native American styling, and a black v-neck t-shirt. Locks of layered blonde hair were pulled up into a typically high pony tail with loose strands mingling with her bangs. To put into finer words she was gorgeous…..well, gorgeous on days she didn't feel like shit.

Her usually bright, hard assed, deadly facial features were sunken in with prominent bags under blue eyes and her skin was a clammy white. She never felt like shit and if she did she usually sucked it up, but today she didn't want to suck it up. Why the fuck did she feel like shit in the first place? Her first thought was to blame Bill and his choice for take out last night. She'd blame him for the next hour until she thought up another reason for her dilemma. She wanted to dive back under the covers and go to sleep but she couldn't, she had to go on assignment.

Her next assignment, Lisa Wong. This assignment was given to her by Bill. She was a killer who worked for Bill, killed for Bill, and she was his woman. Bill's precious Black Mamba - his little kiddo.

So, thus she sucked it up and went. The airport was deserted. No one took 4:30 AM flights to LA, which made it a hell of a lot easier to get on the plane without any problems, not that Beatrix packed that much to begin with. Although the plane was fuller than she expected, but not by much. There was a random group of business men on the plane, a family couple, one or two elderly couples, and about two singles, not including Bea. She took her assigned seat near the window and rummaged in her bag for that corn muffin she grabbed at the concession stand before boarding. Her stomach was doing back flips and she needed to calm it down quick. Dammit.

The flight continued to fill up a little more, although...it was far from full. So, it seemed a little weird when a woman sat down right next to Beatrix, when there were than enough fully empty rows of seats.

This woman, middle aged, slightly overweight, large horn rimmed glasses, dark brown frizzled hair, obnoxious clothing and a purse the size of Texas, plopped right next to the tall blonde. She was one of those people who seemed to take up a lot of room and make a lot of noise no matter what she was doing.

She began rummaging through her purse, looking for who knows what. Finally, she found what she was looking for after a good two minutes of loud digging. Popping a few sticks of gum in her mouth, she began chewing furiously...her earrings and numerous bracelets clanging away.

She was also one of those people who felt the need to talk to strangers, without provocation. "Gum honey?" She offered Beatrix; sticking the gum packet nearly in her face. The woman's voice was nasal and heavily accented in the upper New York style. "You look like you could use some dear...all pale and willowy that you are..." As this was happening, the plane began taxiing in preparation for take off.

Beatrix slowly tilted her head to the woman beside her and then to the extended stick of gum. Her stomach rolled over and she shook her head fiercely. "No thank you," she muttered quietly. The plane was empty and yet Beatrix had to get stuck with one of those 'annoying but trying to be nice' people. She turned back to her muffin. The muffin was turning into crumbs in the tinfoil packaging from her pervious finger poking at it. The muffin was no less appealing than the gum. So, she not-so-neatly repackaged the item and stuffed it in her bag which she sat at her feet.

Her attention turned to stare at the window and from there she used the tactic of staring at one thing to help calm her stomach as the plane began to take off.

It took the woman sitting next to Beatrix, all of two minutes to get into a full blown conversation with her...well, more like...she was talking and Beatrix was pretending to listen.

"...so, that's how I lost five hundred Paso's! Have you ever been to the Gulf of Mexico? Oh my goodness...it's beautiful!" She patted Beatrix's forearm in excitement, "...you see my son in law, he's a lawyer...he and his wife, my daughter of course...they rent out a small getaway every summer...and they invited me this time...," she woman smacked away on her gum, "...and I have to tell you honey….it's all it's cracked up to be...and I tell ya, if I was twenty years younger..." She continued on and on like this as they took off and leveled out...mouth yapping, jewelry clanging, fingernails flailing in the air.

A few minutes after the seat belt sign had been turned off; a stewardess came by to take drink orders. She paused at Beatrix and the other woman's row.

"I'll have a V8," the loud woman spoke up before she was even asked what she wanted, "And two bags of peanuts...you people are far too stingy, if I-"

"What can I get you ma'am," the calm and professional stewardess cut the other woman off, addressing Beatrix, "Are you alright ma'am?" She added after a moment of looking at the pale blonde.

"No," Beatrix abruptly replied. In a matter of seconds like a snake springing from the grasses, she had unbuckled her seatbelt, sprung out of the chair, performed a rather surprising leap over the obnoxious woman blocking her path, moved past the stewardess, and shot down the aisle to the restroom.

Thank God, no one was using the facilities and Beatrix went in and locked the door. Inside the tall blonde did something she never thought she would. A foul taste began to form in her mouth and she vomited…on an air plane. Not a gondola, an air plane, an air plane that she had been on countless, millions of times in her life and she never ever got sick from flying. Never.

But she was sick, very sick and vomiting ones brains out in a small cramped porter-potty spoke volumes.

When the pretty blonde had suddenly bolted up the aisle towards the small restroom, both the stewardess and the annoying woman stared after her...along with a number of passengers.

It was pretty obvious now what the blonde had been pale about.

"Happens all the time," the woman who'd been sitting next to Beatrix blurted out, as if she somehow worked on the plane and was an expert at such things.

The stewardess glared at the woman and said nothing in return, looking somewhat concerned. She swiftly walked up the aisle and halted at the locked restroom door.

"Ma'am? Can we get you anything?" She said kindly but loud enough to be heard over the faint sounds of one being rather sick that were emitting from behind the door. There was little that could be done, but it was her job to make sure people were as comfortable as possible. People got sick on planes fairly often and she was reasonably well versed in the matter of sickness.

"Tell her to lie on her back!" She loud woman called up the aisle.

The stewardess glared. That was the most ridiculous thing she'd heard all morning. She turned back to the closed restroom door, feeling rather sorry for the young woman. Not only was she sick, but she was stuck sitting next to an obnoxious cow.

"I'm fine," Beatrix called over the loud swoosh of the toilet flushing. No, she wasn't fine; she was far, far from fine. She unsteadily rose to her feet and turned on the faucet, letting the water run, but instead of washing out her mouth, she slipped down to the cheap tiled flooring of the porter-potty, her back up against the wall, legs hugged tight to her chest, bent her head, and yelled. She didn't scream, she wanted to, but that'd draw more attention than she already had.

The deadliest woman in the world was crying on the floor of an airplane restroom. She was sick, not a flu-bug sick but something else. Beatrix had to put two and two together and when she had she broke down. It hadn't been the take out food from last night, she knew that now. She had a head ache yesterday, she had been lacking an appetite and occasional mood swings, she had been tired for the past few weeks, and she was way more then a month late on her cycle. Conclusion; she was pregnant.

She could still blame the take out because Bill ordered the take out, but then again she could still blame Bill…because Bill got her pregnant…Oh god, Bill…This time she yelled out with more anguish and further tears. Crying like a scared little girl wasn't going to help her situation but subconsciously it really was helping.

The stewardess moved away from the door with a flinch. It was hard to hear over the water, but the woman inside sounded...upset...then again, maybe it was just the water….but she'd swore she'd heard a cry of what almost could be called anguish. Most of the rest of the plane had gone back to sleeping, reading or zoning out. The annoying woman was still watching the stewardess, her large body twisted around to peer at the situation. Thankfully, she'd remained silent for a few seconds.

Leaning against the door once again, the kindly stewardess spoke up,

"Ma'am...," her voice was gentle, "...ma'am? Can I get you anything? Do you need assistance?" All she could hear from behind the door was the running water and below that...a frightened silence.

Silence in this instance was a good thing because silence meant that Beatrix was calming down; if calm could be a fitting word. She had gotten off the floor and almost literally put her head under the faucet. Her head was tilted enough so the cool liquid glided over her clammy facial features and she took in a few sips to distinguish the foul taste on her tongue. Once through, she dabbed the water droplets with a paper towel and hung on to the sink for a few moments.

She couldn't step outside of the restroom without being relatively put together.

Beatrix suddenly stifled a laugh at herself. Okay, so she could be pregnant. She most likely was pregnant, and denying it was only going to make her throw up again, and she was having a shitty time swallowing the truth to begin with. But, she wasn't sure, she could not be pregnant, she could be jumping to conclusions and getting herself worked up over nothing. She had to pull herself together. She put on a hard façade that didn't do much for her still green and clammy appearance and stepped out of the restroom.

The stewardess looked at her with the utmost concern. Beatrix's lips parted as if she wanted to ask if they happened to carry home pregnancy tests on the airplane but instead she softly muttered, "Could I have a ginger ale, please?"

The stewardess offered Beatrix a gentle smile, "Yes, of course...I'll get one for you right away." She turned away to get the drink, but quickly turned back to the tall blonde, "Let me reseat you as well...more space might be good for you." In other words, getting her away from that obnoxious woman.

The stewardess sat Beatrix a few rows in front of her former seat and left to get her a ginger ale. When she passed by Beatrix's prior seat mate, she informed the woman that she had reseated the young lady because it was best she sit alone in her current state...which certainly held some truth to it. The larger woman, nodded congenially, "Oh yes, of course...poor thing needs some space...poor, poor thing..." She continued to mumble to herself in-between chomps of gum...apparently unable to completely cease talking.

A minute or two later, the stewardess set a cup of ginger ale, along with the halfway empty can on the tray in front of Beatrix. She gave the blonde a reassuring look, "If you need anything at all...just press that button," she indicated the large call button on the ceiling, next to the lighting and air flow controls. "Please, don't hesitate to use that." She smiled once more and then left Beatrix, moving onto her other many tasks.

Beatrix almost wished the stewardess hadn't left, because if she didn't leave, than Beatrix wouldn't have been left alone to think. She didn't want to think but there was no stopping a speeding train.

It's said that when one is faced with a life changing situation they go through phases. Beatrix was smack in the distressful and angst phase. Unfortunately this half consisted of a great deal of negative thoughts. What if she really was pregnant? That would fuck up everything and not literally, she'd already did that. She hadn't planned to get pregnant and deep down she didn't think she could. Well, she knew she could, but she didn't think Bill could. Ah, but that was stupid on her part, and negligent, but she had been fucking and during those fucks she wasn't exactly thinking she had to play it safe.

This then brought her back to Bill. She cared about Bill…she loved Bill…she fucked Bill and now there was a high probability she was carrying his baby. That mere thought alone scared the shit out of her. Bill wasn't a father. Bill was a murdering bastard.

The tall sickly distraught blonde hit her head hard against the back of the seat. She wasn't trying to knock herself out, but the impact numbed her head and she soon fell into an uneasy slumber.

* * *

A young woman wearing a blue apron and a nametag that read "Jaclyn", stood looking rather bored behind her check stand, chewing idly on her light pink painted fingernail. Her dark hair was pulled back in a sloppy pony tail, freckles standing out under the harsh florescent lighting. She'd been zoning out, staring at the black and white security camera by her register, but for all she knew...somebody could have stolen just about anything...she wasn't paying much attention.

That was until a tall, very pretty blonde woman came strolling in. Nobody came into the Quick E Mart at 7am and bought a pregnancy test, not even in L.A...until now that this.

Jaclyn gave the tall blonde a long look as she approached the counter with the rectangular box, her young face still set in an expression of teenage boredom. Although, she was pretty intrigued...she still wasn't about to go and be all fucking interested in some lady's knocked up ass.

She pulled herself up into a slightly less crouched position and pulled the pregnancy test over the scanner. She glanced at the register display, "That's 16.47 with tax," she droned, dull blue eyes focused on the blonde woman. "This is a good test," Jaclyn piped up suddenly as the woman was retrieving her cash, "My friend Marissa got knocked up by this real asshole gang banger dick...and she used this test...she was fucked alright….and this thing told her so..." She wasn't sure why she'd talked to the woman, she never talked to customers...she hated customers...they were all a bunch of stupid sheep. But, there was something about the blonde that made her want to share that bit of 'enlightening' information.

Beatrix put a crisp twenty on the counter and watched somewhat stoically as the young teenage cashier counted out the change. The tall blonde was feeling noticeably better after getting off the plane. She wasn't as pale or green or sickly looking but that didn't mean she still didn't feel like shit on the inside. Her emotions were running on full swing, but she wasn't a trained killer for nothing. She was able to pull off that stoic and calm assed façade the whole way to the Quick E Mart and she still had it.

Jaclyn seemed like a well mannered kid and Beatrix felt obliged to be pleasant, or at least those maternal instincts kicked in. She put on a forced tight smile and replied lightly, "I wasn't knocked up by one of those…" A spark went off in those void blue eyes. "But, thanks for the tip."

* * *

"Fuck," Beatrix profusely swore. Then those blue eyes slowly and methodically stared down at the strip clenched in her fingers. The blue strip. Blue meant pregnant. She was pregnant! And in that moment of sheer shock, all previous feelings of being distressed or even close to angst were gone. She was going to be a mother!

She was swept over with a feeling euphoria and she walked out of the bathroom clinging to her blue strip and the box as if it were the baby itself. She was pregnant. This was what she'd always wanted, and now realizing it, she held no regrets or doubts only pure bliss. She was going to have a little baby boy or girl. A baby that was half her own and half Bill's.

Beatrix stopped in the middle of the hotel room and gaped. This was Bill's baby too and he had the right to know. He had the right to be just as happy as she was. She dashed to the bed side table and picked up the receiver. She dialed quick and effectively, her heart pounding in anticipation. The phone rang….rang….rang a third time…a forth…fifth…The door bell rang? Her brows furrowed in sudden curiosity and minor caution. She hung up the phone and with her blue strip and home pregnancy box in hand she went to answer the door.

"Hello, can I help you?"

"Hello, I'm Karen Kim, I'm the hospitality manager of the hotel. I have a welcome gift from the management."

"Oh, that's nice…Um…" Dammit, she dropped her blue strip. "…Could you just leave it by the door…? ..."

Bill had been performing the same morning routine for nearly every morning for the past fifteen years or so. It only changed if he was traveling or there were more important or tantalizing reasons to skip it.

Now, whoever said routines were always good...?

This morning, his morning routine, and consequently the missing of Beatrix's phone call, would forever shape the remainder of his life...and in turn, shape the end of it. The events that would follow that morning were, like a line of toppling dominos, a series of fate driven consequences that had been set in motion the second that Bill had set his dark gaze on Beatrix over five years ago.

But that reality had not yet reached Bill.

Completely unaware that he was now the father of Beatrix's unborn child, Bill sat meditating in the middle of his Oriental courtyard. It was past sunrise, but he'd felt like sitting there longer than usual. The morning was clear and utterly still.

Cross legged and straight backed, wearing a black silk Mandarin collared shirt and loose black pants, bare footed, hair loosely falling past his shoulders, he sat unmoving. While, appearing quite stoic, if one who knew him well were to look at him, they'd know that Bill was a happy man. There was just the slightest upturn of his mouth, the softening of his normally hard features. This was Bill's new look...his recent look. He wasn't going to have this look for very much longer. It was about time he return to the scowl and glare that he knew and portrayed so well. Unknowingly, he was enjoying some of the last moments of that other, softer Bill...a side of him that would only be brought out again in him by his own child.

Inside his hacienda, a hundred feet away or so, sitting on the nightstand next to his bed, his cell phone rang five times. It didn't forward to his voicemail...that took six rings; it simply stopped ringing...or in the case of the receiving end, stopped playing that silly monotonic version of The Eagles "One of These Nights."

All Bill heard from his cross-legged vantage point out in the courtyard was the soft chirping of morning birds. His thoughts were equally as pleasant as the soundtrack around him. His mental wanderings drifted to Beatrix of course, amongst everything else. He reflected at length on the day before...that had been one hell of a day...a day to remember. But, he realized that any day he spent with Beatrix was a day to remember. It would seem he'd have quite sometime to remember those days in the years to come.

He thought briefly of skipping his work out and just going inside. But, he resisted the temptation, besides, it was remarkably nice outside. Standing up slowly, he made a slow walk around the courtyard to stretch his legs, bare feet padding on the cobblestone, hair blowing in the soft breeze. Then, setting himself up with enough room...Bill began the Tai Chi Chuan long form, Chen-style...his preferred style of the soft martial art form. When he did this, he tended to mentally melt away into an almost blank state...but, before he did, he had a few fleeting thoughts of Beatrix and the anticipation of seeing, his woman, his lover, that very evening.

She would no doubt have an interesting story or two to tell him.

* * *

"Congratulations." And that was that. In the midst of the hotel room, staring at the door with the hole blasted through it, was Beatrix. She finally snapped, letting the cool metal in her hands drop on to the bed, she made a mad crawling dash across the shaggy rug and retrieved her blue strip. She then moved to the back corner of the room and sat there in a fetal position.

That disheveled woman with the labored breathing was Beatrix Kiddo aka Black Mamba of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad…or that is what she had been. Facing Karen Kim had been one of the most frightening experiences of her life because she hadn't been a killer, not in that moment, she was a mother scared for the safety of her unborn child. And if she remained Black Mamba, her child would always be in danger. She couldn't live like that. Her child didn't deserve to live like that.

She had to make a choice, right then, in that very hotel room, a choice that would change her life for better or for worse. It wasn't about Bill…or was it? Well, Bill had a lot to do with her daunting choice. If she went back home she'd have to face Bill, she'd have to tell him it was his. Minutes before she had no problem trying to get a hold of Bill and telling him the good news but now, after having a gun pointed at her head, her thoughts turned down a different road. If Bill knew he'd claim the baby and she didn't want that. Her baby deserved that clean slate that Beatrix longed for. A clean slate with no blood stains to speak of, and in order to gain that clean slate she had to drop out.

It wasn't about Bill anymore and it certainly wasn't about herself, it was about 'their' child and the right choice. She had to choose; Bill or the baby.

Beatrix chose the baby.

She wasn't running away, per say, well she was running away from Bill, that much was true. She was running away from one life, to pick up another that she was going to make work. So a good two hours later the mother-to-be packed up her small duffle bag, left the hotel and went home. It wasn't exactly her 'home' but it was home enough; El Paso, Texas.


	2. I had to choose, I chose her

Beatrix was gone.

It had been a week since she'd left on her assignment to kill Lisa Wong and she'd never come back. It had only been a week, but to Bill it felt like a month.

After the first day of her absence, he'd chalked it up to a missed flight or any of the number of things that could cause one to show up a day late from an assignment. It had happened before and he simply shrugged it off with the pang of annoyance of not being able to see her that night. He wasn't the type to overly worry about things, especially when it came to Beatrix. She could handle herself just fine and didn't need 'her man' to keep tabs on her.

But, after the second day, his annoyance began to grow and he began calling her cell phone...which was somewhat futile, seeing as Beatrix hardly ever used her damn cell phone anyways. There was no reply and eventually he left a few messages on her voice mail.

Still, nothing...

Now, by the end of the week...Bill was starting to loose it.

Earlier that day, Budd had very carefully and politely suggested that perhaps Beatrix had been killed on assignment. Bill went off the handle, snarling at his brother to "stop being such a fucking moron," and turned his back on him.

As the week went on, gradually nobody wanted to be around Bill. Even Nikishi in all her sturdiness, shrunk away into the shadows...quietly going about her packing duties. The rest of the Vipers soon became aware of what had happened and smartly stayed away from Bill. Budd was the only one who made a true attempt to speak to his brother. But, after the verbal lashing earlier, even his loyalty was being tested.

And this was only the first week. Bill, well….his entire being was in a state of complete confusion and shock. He simply couldn't fathom the thought of Beatrix being killed on assignment, it was...unthinkable. But, the rational part of him, reminded himself that it was indeed not so unthinkable. Beatrix was a killer, and he, of anybody, should know that there were risks involved with being a killer. He knew that at any moment, he or any of those who worked for him could be killed, he was constantly reminding them of that...but he couldn't believe that it could perhaps have happened to Beatrix.

But, he hadn't yet completely grasped that eventuality. Most of him still believed she was alive, mainly because the thought of her being dead made him want to go insane. So...he pushed that out of his mind, he couldn't deal with it...he simply couldn't. He had to keep a hold on the belief that she was alive. Something had happened...she'd been delayed...the assignment was bigger than they'd first thought; she'd decided to take a random vacation. Beatrix was not without moments of spontaneity, that's was for certain. Her actions with the CPA certainly confirmed that. But, this made him angry with her. Why hadn't she called him and told him what was going on? She was always so good about those sorts of things. It wasn't like her to not inform him of a change in plans. Things had been going so well between them...how could she do that? So, now he was angry with her...and he didn't want to be...he missed her too much.

And yes, more than anything analytical, there was the personal effect of her disappearance that got to him the most. Bill missed her...everything about her. But, like the thought of her death, he couldn't linger on this topic for long without a sort of madness setting in. So, he simply blocked anything too close to the heart from his thoughts and continued on. He tried to keep working, packing...making arrangements...but as the week began to draw to a close, he found himself doing these things less and spending more time sitting around in a dark gloom of worry, anger, and slipping denial.

He was on the verge of the type of depression that often led to self destruction...but he wasn't quite there yet. Bill was still a proud person, despite this sudden shock...even if it was the shock of his life. He wasn't about to drown in pity quite yet. It had only been a week...there was still time...and he clung desperately onto the fantasy that Beatrix was, in fact not dead.

* * *

Dr. Robert Herman opened the door to the examination room and quickly slipped inside with the geniality and discretion of a good doctor. He clutched a clipboard in his hand and carefully pulled his reading glasses up to his nose as he sat down on a tall stool across from the examination table.

He looked up at the tall blonde woman sitting quietly on the examination table and offered her a wide and gentle smile. "Well, Miss Machiavelli, the test came back positive," Dr. Herman spoke in a pleasant drawling Texan accent, "...you are indeed pregnant," the smile widened a little, "Congratulations." He remained professional but kind about the whole thing. He'd been telling women this sort of news for nearly thirty years and he'd seen reactions on both ends of the spectrum. He always remained on a neutral basis.

He glanced back down at the clipboard, "You are roughly twelve weeks pregnant…..give or take a few days. Everything appears fine. Your baby seems perfectly healthy from what can be deciphered at this early stage, and despite your morning sickness, you are in perfect health for a twenty-five year old woman." He looked up again, removing his glasses and placing them in his lab coat pocket.

His features softened a little, "If you have any questions or concerns Miss Machiavelli, I would be more than happy to discuss them with you."

Beatrix stared at Doctor Herman with a mouth agape in a mixture of bewilderment and complete jubilation. It had taken Beatrix a good week to set herself up in El Paso. There was a shitload to do. She had to forge a fake ID, which wasn't all that hard considering she had done it countless times before. This time she went under the alias of Arlene Machiavelli. Why the fuck she choose that name was merely influenced by a spontaneous convulsion of morning sickness and listening to a string of the Carpenter's 'Top of the World'. Next, was establishing herself in an apartment complex and buying a car and that was easy. Last but not least was to find the nearest doctor's office and that's were she currently was situated.

"I have one question, doctor," she began in a cool temperament. "But I find it hard to fathom…that I'm…nearly three months pregnant? Three months is a long time…and…" She trailed off. What had she been doing in those past three months that she had been so fucking stupid to not realize she was with child? Well, it wasn't impossible. Beatrix was known for brushing things aside. There were countless times she had endured an extensive injury and strolled around without noticing it for days. The same went for being pregnant. She quaintly finished her sentence so she didn't appear too flabbergasted. "I mean…shit…doctor…I wasn't exactly…being safe…for three months."

Doctor Herman offered 'Miss Arlene Machiavelli' a knowing smile, "Actually, you were safe those three months Miss Machiavelli, because you were already pregnant. Just takes one time during those two days during your cycle. You're twenty-five and in exceptionally good health, you're at the prime for getting pregnant." He leaned back, his demeanor turning a little friendlier, "It happens more often than you'd think actually. You're certainly not the first woman I've treated who didn't realize she was pregnant until well into her first trimester. Some women have stronger reactions than others. You seem to have shown very little sings of pregnancy, until this week. You should count yourself lucky."

He glanced down at his clipboard again, more out of habit than anything. "But, you will be showing more signs very soon...you'll start to see a physical change in your appearance any week now. The sex of the baby is still unclear, but...we should have a verdict in a month. That is, if you choose to know."

When Beatrix told the doctor she hadn't been safe she didn't mean safe sex wise. Hell, she fucked Bill countless times after she first conceived and that certainly didn't worry her now. What worried her was what she had been doing outside of the sexual activity that wasn't safe. Such as; killing. But it was stupid to worry about it when the doctor said she was perfectly healthy and the baby was safe. That was all that mattered.

She straightened up her demeanor and put on a thin smile. "Oh, I'd like to know the baby's sex as soon as possible." That made her excited and it was obvious in the glow of those blue eyes.

"Of course," Dr. Herman smiled a genuine warm smile. He was always touched when women showed so much excitement about their pregnancy...he'd seen far too much of the opposite. "Why don't you come in…..say a week from tomorrow? You can make an appointment at the front desk as you leave. We'll take a look, see what's showing...," he chuckled, "….or not showing, and let you know right away."

He shifted on his stool, "Now...if you don't mind me asking...what of the baby's father?" This was a sensitive topic, not every woman who came in here wanted to talk much of the father of their unborn child...but it was important he ask. "I ask mainly because, if he is available...it would be nice to have him here, for support during these visits, as well as everyday support for you." Dr. Herman was just as much a 'feminist' as the next man in this day and age, but again, this deserved some thought on Miss Machiavelli's part. "You're going to become...increasingly vulnerable as your state increases. By the time you get into the last part of your third trimester, I assure you...you are probably going to want some physical as well as physiological support. Also," he leaned back, "...while, the baby appears perfectly healthy now...it is good to know some background on the child's genetics and having the father, or at least information on the father available for examination is always a good idea." He paused, "Is there anything about the father that should be known...health issues? Mental health issues?"

Beatrix laughed. She didn't laugh at the doctor but more at the question she was presented with. and the laugh only assured how uneasy it made her. She pursed her lips and leaned her head back against the crinkly papered pillow case. Her head shook from side to side almost in distress. Oh yes, the father was healthy, perhaps even healthier than herself. And as for mental health, oh, she could tell Doctor Herman that Bill was a murdering bastard, a sociopath, but sometimes he could be 'sweet' just for her. The deadliest man in the world was the father of her child that sounded perfectly 'normal'.

Okay, now came the tough part. She didn't want to give out any information about her past or at least as little as possible, but for the baby's health she had to give out some details. Beatrix had to keep on reminding herself it was all for the baby. She steadily raised her gaze to meet the doctor's and said, "The father…he's fifty-eight." She stated this bit of information without any signs of embarrassment. She continued quietly but she was stumbling over her words. This 'was' stating truths about Bill, "He's in very good health…works out every morning… Tai Chi….Chen-style to be exact…he has a good diet…low cholesterol I would think…and he has a strong immune system…" It wasn't hard to miss the touch of longing in her tone when she gave off the little, not so important aspects of Bill's health. Her gaze drifted away from the doctor. "He…has a…temper." That was the understatement of the century. Her lips pursed. "Other then that he's fine upstairs."

A moment's silence lingered before the tall blonde fixed Doctor Herman with a serious and almost threatening look that one would find surprising on such an 'innocent' pregnant woman. "The father…he doesn't know….and he isn't going to know."

Dr. Herman took all of this information in stride, like the professional he was. There was nothing worth raising a brow too much over there. The age difference was a little shocking, but again, nothing he hadn't heard before...in fact, he'd heard far more extreme cases during his years practicing medicine.

The doctor chuckled a little, easing the tension brought on by the tall blonde's rather intense look, "Well...I must say, this man sounds healthier than most men his age...myself included," he smiled. "We all have temper's Miss Machiavelli...as long as everything is fine upstairs; I'm not all too concerned." Apparently everything was fine downstairs as well...but the doctor didn't have to note that, the evidence was right in front of him sitting on the examination table. Of course, he had no idea how much the father's supposed 'temper' had just been understated.

Dr. Herman once again became serious, coming back to the blonde's last set of words. "And of course, your wish for discretion will be respected." It was not his place to delve further into such matters. It was his professional duty to retain a strict patient/doctor relationship and he would follow that to a "T". Whatever business was between this woman and the man who was now the father of her child was their business, not his. His business was to make sure this lovely young lady had a successful pregnancy and gave birth to the healthiest child she could.

There was more to this woman than he had first perceived, he'd caught that in her suddenly furious expression. He was a man who knew people rather well. But, again...it was not his place to play psychiatrist. He stood, placing his clipboard under his arm, "Well, if you don't have any further questions for me Miss Machiavelli, I will send you on your way. I appreciate the information you gave me and I assure you everything is looking perfectly fine. I look forward to seeing you and your baby next week," he smiled gently, shaking the blonde's thin hand. With that, he turned and left the room as quietly as he'd come in.


	3. Split Screen

Even though it was one of the more desolate areas of El Paso, Texas it was packed with locals. There was one long strip of block with numerous small businesses that sometimes received more business than some of the more well known places. The dusty streets were scattered with a range of people: old, young, middle aged, and dogs. A younger aged couple, holding hands and walking down the street were chatting casually, an elderly couple passing in the opposite direction were bickering in that old married couple fashion. A mother with a baby carriage was window shopping, and a few kids were running through the vacant street playing catch.

Beatrix Kiddo, well Arlene Machiavelli, was watching all of this with those clear blue eyes in a silent envy. But, she didn't have to envy it anymore because she had it. Right in front of her was the normal that she was yearning for and she was having trouble digesting it. To help with this digesting she decided to do some shopping. Her new apartment was rather bare and in order to gain a homey feeling it needed things to snazz it up.

By the lacking of bags in her hands she wasn't having much success. She had been walking down the block for a good hour. She was clad in a pair of darker shaded denim jeans, a pale peach colored top, and a denim jacket to go over it, with a pair of sandals to finish it off. It was casual attire. Locks of blonde hair were pulled up into a high pony tail, no noticeable change except for the fact her bangs were clean cut, indicating she went for that haircut she had been planning for.

Beatrix was about to give up her task of finding homey goods when a store on the corner caught her eye. She walked over to give it further inspection. It was a small business with a shabby sign on the front that read; Used Record Store…. how original. With a smirk etched on her angelically deadly features the tall blonde decided to take a look.

The record store was small, but not so small that it felt cramped. It was certainly somewhat run down and well loved, yet...it appeared to do just fine business-wise. It seemed the owner of the store preferred that 'down home' look and kept it in its dusty, worn in look on purpose. There were rows of records, categorized by musical genre, and within that, alphabetically...these occupied most of the middle of the store area. Along the left hand side of the store there was a long glass counter that ran around the back in an L shape. Inside the counter were displayed records of the more rare and expensive sort. Behind the counter were some stock shelves and a door that obviously went into a back room of sorts. The lighting was warm and inviting. There were old concert posters displayed on the wood walls, most of them of the blues, folk and jazz categories. Over the store's stereo system some bluegrass music was playing at a comfortable volume. All in all it was a very humble and casual type of store.

When Beatrix entered the store, a small bell chimed as she opened the door. There were two or three people browsing the records, but none of them appeared to work there.

After a few minutes, the back door behind the counter opened with the sound of friendly talk and some laughter, and then, talking over his shoulder a moment longer, a man emerged from the door and shut it behind him.

This man was Tommy Plympton, owner of this particular used record store. Tommy was an extremely tall man, standing around 6'5", broad shouldered and big in stature. He was blonde, with a head of somewhat unruly short hair, kind bright blue eyes and neatly trimmed facial hair that included a faint shaped goatee. He wasn't overly handsome, but he was...in a kind and humble sort of way. His stature and facial structure were very masculine, but his whole persona seemed very down to earth.

Tommy, with a box of records in his arms, backed away from the door and walked along the counter and set the box on a stack of others in the corner. He was wearing a pair of Wrangler jeans, work boots, a dark blue t-shirt and over that an unbuttoned flannel shirt.

After dusting his large hands off on his jeans, he glanced up at the customers currently browsing. The three older men there were regulars, and the forth...

Tommy stood up straighter, his attention suddenly completely captured. The forth customer was a woman...but not one of the types of women he normally saw around here. She was standing in profile to him a few rows down. She was tall, lean, blonde...and quite possibly the most beautiful thing Tommy had ever seen. He watched her for a few seconds, somewhat frozen in fascination. She was browsing idly, her long fingers gently flipping through the records, her eyelids hooded over blue eyes. She was stunning.

Tommy blinked, realizing he was being rude...staring at women was improper and he was a man of manners. He turned away a little and ran a hand through his unruly hair. Them, stepping over a few boxes, he meandered around the counter and out onto the main floor. Casually, he approached the tall blonde; he cleared his throat, "Is there something specific you are looking for ma'am?" His voice was somewhat low, but not overly so...and pleasant like the rest of his persona, with a slight drawl to it. He smiled, and not surprisingly…..that was pleasant too.

A week and a day...and still, no Beatrix.

Bill sat hunched over at the living room bar, his hands sitting idly on the counter. In front of him sat a brand new, unopened bottle of Jack Daniels. The dark brown bottle met with his dark brown glare. The look in those eyes was hard and unforgiving, much like the liquid in that bottle and he knew the moment he opened it, it would be a Pandora's box of vice.

Yesterday, he'd stopped packing...he stopped doing much of anything. He wanted to desperately, he was a workaholic...but the hollow feeling in his chest and knot in the pit of his stomach overpowered that desire. Today, his denial that Beatrix was in fact not dead was beginning to wear away into a gnawing pain. It was quite possibly the worst thing he'd ever felt….and he'd felt some pretty bad things throughout his life.

He shifted a little, a hand coming up to take a slow rake through his hair. He could hear Nikishi somewhere behind him, in the living room packing. Budd had come over a few times, he'd tried to be pathetically casual about it, but Bill knew his brother was trying to be there for him. Deep down, Bill was touched by this, but he'd been nothing but cruel and dismissive to Budd. He didn't have any resources available at the moment to be nice, they were all preoccupied trying to cling onto the hope of Beatrix being alive…..and the increasingly tough task of holding back the truth. Bill was a realist; he always wanted the truth from others, even if he was a professional liar. He'd pounded that belief into others...the cruel, hard, truth. Right now, he was not sure he wanted the truth; for once...he wanted an illusion and a false hope.

There was nobody in mutual pain with him. Nikishi seemed shocked and distracted. Budd was unreadable but attempting to be comforting. Elle was quietly smirking, thinking he didn't notice her silent joy in the thought of Beatrix being dead. O-Ren was the only one not completely shocked by the aspect, but silently expected it and now she was smirking just as wide. Vernita had seemed quite shocked at first, but now that had faded away into a happy resolve of sorts.

And Bill...he was in fucking misery. He let out a little bitter laugh, more directed at himself than anything. He couldn't help it, he was aware at how goddamn pathetic he was being. When did he ever seek out the mutual comfort of another? Since….Beatrix.

His hand moved from his hair to cover his face, elbow propped up on the counter. He'd rather just have known right away...somehow...then to have to suffer this unknowing slow resolution. Still, he couldn't think of her as dead. In his mind, she was so alive...so full of life...glowing colors and wide affectionate smiles. He could still so clearly see her, hear her, smell her...taste her…….

"Auugh," with a small sound of self misery, he snatched up the Jack Daniels bottle, and tore off the black paper wrapping on the top. From her vantage point in the corner of the living room, Nikishi looked up and seeing Bill, shook her head slowly.

Bill was not an escapist, oh sure...he liked his vices now and then, but he'd gone through his life quite able to handle his own woes without the need of much else than his own strong will. But now...now...losing Beatrix was too much for him to handle on his own. He could blame Beatrix for dying, he could blame himself...he was getting old and weak; he could blame his drifter bastard of an alcoholic father. But, that was it...there was nothing concise to pin his blame on.

He couldn't face the truth yet, he wasn't ready for that. So, instead, he untwisted the lid on the bottle and, skipping a shot glass, lifted the bottle...eyes on the dark liquid inside, and took a long drink.

"The day I see my brother drowning himself in self misery is the day I give up my hat…but…seein' as I don't believe my brother could sink so low….I'm gonna keep the hat," Budd declared from the far corner of the hallway. Nikishi had given entrance not long before Bill started taking long lugs of Jack Daniels'. As casual as Budd had been trying to be, he was overly concerned about Bill. Shit, he was as shocked as Bill to think Beatrix got herself killed on assignment. Budd always knew she was good, really good, Bill's superior…..and the idea she died before him was…not right.

He made a slow walk over to the bar but it was easy to see the caution in his actions. He was approaching a highly irritable snake and the last thing he wanted to be was poisoned. He pursed his lips and his brows furrowed. "How 'bout we go out to a bar? It may be good for ya to get outta here."

Beatrix looked up from her browsing to put a face on the pleasant voice that rang in her ears. The man before her was…nice. Blue eyes performed a quick check out before leveling up to meet his similar blue eyes. He was tall, taller than her, for a change and she couldn't quite place it, but he seemed to hold a very cute disposition. And she liked his hair.

The tall blonde averted her eyes. She was staring and that was rude. So, she put on her 'ditzy, bubbly tourist blonde' façade. "Oh, no…I was just looking…" She kept a tight warm smile across her pink painted lips her head canted slightly. She knew that was going to send him off to help the other customers and she didn't want him to leave just yet. She quickly added, "I just moved here and I was hoping to find something to make my place look…cooler."

"You'd better start getting rid those hats very quickly then Budd," Bill replied without turning to look at his brother, his back a wall, shoulders hunched edgily.

When Budd slowly came around to the bar, his older brother gradually raised his head to momentarily lock eyes with him. It didn't take a genius to read the look in Bill's eyes, and Budd, being his brother certainly could read even deeper.

Bill turned away after a moment, the movement sluggish and slightly off kilter. It never took Bill all that long to be effected by alcohol; another sign of genetic disposition. He rubbed his slightly stubbly cheek, realizing that he hadn't left the house the entire week...just in case Beatrix showed up. He had even stopped his morning workouts after the second day of her disappearance…..he didn't have the energy...all it was being spent on concern and angst. Ever so slowly, he was starting to neglect other things...like shaving.

"Mrm," he pushed the bottle of Jack away, "...alright...but somewhere close...," he mumbled. Budd was an expert on the local bar scene, he had no doubt about that. "I don't feel like...going all that...far…." He stood, snatching his jacket off of the stool next to him, ignoring Budd's look of concern.

Tommy laughed, partially out of nervousness, "Something cool eh?" He was amused, because people rarely came in here for cool décor. Most people who shopped here were hardcore vinyl collectors or tourists who wanted a taste of the 'true Southern Texas'...not beautiful, charming women who had just moved here.

Tommy rubbed his stubbly chin, "Well...let's see...," he began to skim the room, mostly to buy time. He didn't know how to comply to her request quite yet, but he sure didn't want her to leave his store. Maybe he was just jumping to conclusions too quickly, but he already really liked this woman. No doubt, she had some rich boyfriend...seeing as she wasn't wearing a ring on her left hand and it was a crime if she didn't' have somebody, but he had to at least give it a try. He was a people person, peopled liked him...and he was never shy about trying to meet new people, especially newcomers.

Realizing he was taking far too much time to think this over, Tommy began a slow walk around the room, but quickly turned back to the blonde woman with a smile. "I completely forgot...that was rude of me," he extended his hand, "My name's Tommy."

Budd tried to hide his look of satisfaction with a tight nod. He wasn't going to gloat about the fact he was able to get Bill to agree to something, because all he was doing was trying to be nice. For all he knew it could blow up in his face, which he was prepared for as it had a high likelihood of happening.

He knew just the right place. It was a small bar and grill, just off the interstate. Half a bar and half a restaurant; were locals went with their families or buddies gathered to watch the football game. This bar wasn't dingy like many of the other bars Budd was known for going to. The bar was a large 'U' shape with assorted tables in the middle of the room, booths off to the side, red lamped lights hung over head with slow moving fans, and a soft line of 'western' fashion music was playing over the bustling of the crowd. All in all it was a wholesome place to get drunk.

Once situated Budd ordered himself a beer and a platter of nachos, because they were too 'goddamn good' to pass up. He casually turned to the worn man beside him, his features creased in concern. "Ya know, Bill, talkin' instead of drinkin' can help…"

Beatrix took the extended hand and supplied a hearty hand shake, that indeed held more 'power' than a normal hand shake from a normal woman. "I'm Arlene," her words said softly and confidently as if Arlene was her given birth name. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Tommy." Her hand slipped to her side and arms came to cross over her chest. She made a shift from one foot to the other as if she were nervously shy. "Have you lived in El Paso long?"

"Fuck off Budd," Bill replied viciously, although somewhat half heartedly for his usual style. He sat hunched against this bar just as he had against his own bar at home. He'd ordered himself straight tequila and nothing else. There was a baseball game on the TV overhead. Bill hated baseball and decided he didn't want to look at that. The bartender was a fairly attractive blonde woman in her early thirties; Bill didn't want to look at her either. Instead, he found himself frowning at the various wall décor, which he wasn't even really registering, and finally settling on looking at the wood grain of the bar itself as it reflected through the liquid of his drink.

He pursed his lips, finally glancing at his brother, who was munching on his plate of nachos...aware that Budd was only trying to 'help' in his own bizarre way. "There's nothing to talk about Budd," he said softly, "You were right...yesterday...I imagine she was killed by Lisa Wong...or one of her many assassins...end of story." Far from it actually. He picked up his shot glass, "I...yup," he trailed off, drowning the entire glass.

Tommy smiled that pleasant smile again, "Well, very nice to meet you Arlene." He liked her handshake, it was very confident...but she did seem kinda shy...he liked that. "Oh yeah, I've lived here for ten years….moved here from Dallas after graduating from high school. I started up this little store about six years ago," he took a look around the well loved store with a pleased expression, "...and I haven't looked back since." He shrugged his wide shoulders, "It pays the bills and I love coming to work every day...chatting with people, talkin' about music. It's very cool. And," he leaned forward a little, "I love El Paso." A grin. "But what about you Arlene? Where did you call home before good ol' El Paso?"

The lines on Budd's face continued to tighten. Budd could be a moron, a complete jack ass, but he truly hated seeing his brother like this. He clutched a hand to his beer bottle and rubbed a thumb over the glossy rimmed top. "I don't wanna be right, Bill," he admitted lightly. "Bea's a tough gal…I mean, maybe she got herself knocked out and she's been stuck at some hospital in LA for the past week tryin' ta wake up." He didn't want to give his brother false hope, but he didn't want Bill drinking his ass off either. That was his job.

Beatrix was liking Tommy alot. He had that wholesome, down to earth persona that she had looked for in a guy and always ended up fucking it up. Blue eyes came half lidded as her gaze averted to the array of albums across from her standing position. While staring at the cover of some heavy metal group she'd never heard of, she was hit with an idea. Beatrix was known for being spontaneous but she wasn't stupidly spontaneous. This was a very smart type of spontaneous. She dosed her voice level to hold a lighter pitch, with a touch of a southern drawl. "I grew up in Australia and then moved out to Mexico at nineteen."

She pursed her lips and her eyes came back to him. "I quit my job in Mexico…my boss was being such an ass," she stifled a small, uneasy laugh at herself, her gaze down casting again. So she was speaking foul things about her 'boss' and they weren't entirely true, but she had to play it up for what she could and besides, she had an easy time lying about Bill.

"Mrm," was Bill's only response to that. He didn't want Budd to be right either...more than anything...but he'd been in this business a long time and it was more likely she'd been killed, especially when she'd been sent to kill off a woman like Lisa Wong. He'd seen the short of shit the Chinese underground did to people. It wasn't pretty or half assed in any way.

This thought only made him feel worse and he signaled to the bartender to refill his drink. Again, he couldn't fathom Beatrix lying dead somewhere. He'd already called around to all of the big hospitals in the LA area, inquiring under the name of the alias Beatrix had been using for the assignment. No luck. This didn't completely put Budd's theory to rest, but it certainly didn't improve Bill's spirits either.

He remained silent for a few long minutes, taking comfort in his refilled drink. "I shouldn't have sent her..." he grumbled finally. No, that was stupid...she was a killer, that was her job...and he never let the relationship between them effect his decision to send her out on a dangerous assignment. He had sworn he wouldn't do that from the start...and now, he was realizing the cost of that decision. Taking another drink, he laughed one of his short bitter laughs, "Don't ever fall in love with a woman Budd...it'll ruin you." He didn't fully believe that, but it just kinda came out in his current state.

"Oh my god," Tommy was watching Arlene with complete fascination, "Australia? Man, I'd love to have grown up in a place like that." Arlene was becoming more and more interesting, her good looks meshing with her personality. He leaned on the counter, completely forgetting that she had initially asked him for help picking out something. "I have a friend, lives in Acuna Mexico...ya know over the border. I keep telling him he needs to move here, that's El Paso is the best city to live in if you've ever lived in Mexico." He smiled, a sweet as well as pleasant smile, "So, Arlene, I think you chose a perfect place to move to."

His sparkling blue eyes were settled on her with a soft kindness, "Ya know...I'd love to hear about Australia...what's it like and everything. Maybe we could sit down, have some coffee or something sometime...and I know El Paso better than anybody else you'll meet. I could give you a little tour." He caught himself, "I mean...not like I just asked you out...," he laughed, "...that's not what I meant...well I did...but..." he gave up and laughed at himself. Tommy was not the sort of guy who took himself all too seriously. If Arlene had a guy, he'd find out now and that would be that. Either way, he was glad he'd met her...and at least, they could perhaps become friends.

Beatrix gave off a girly giggle and shifted her position to side lean against the counter across from Tommy. The giggle died down so all that remained was a pearly white smile. He was asking her out on a date and she found that very cool. She knew she could attract guys quickly but now being able to attract a man in a normal atmosphere instead of some dingy bar was a whole new experience. She was elated. "I'd love too," she replied quickly.

"I mean," her chin tilted down to her chest but blue eyes stayed leveled on him. "When do you close up? I don't have anything but an ill furnished apartment to get home to anyway." Another short lived laugh. "And…speaking of ill furnished, I'm gonna take that." She extended an arm and a single white digit pointed to a red and yellow globed-retro lava lamp sitting on a shelf above the register. She grinned slyly from ear to ear.

Budd's frown deepened. "Ya don't need to worry about me fallin' in love. Ain't never gonna happen." He chuckled uneasily to try and break the bad humor of his joke. He scooped up the bottle his beer bottle and took a swallow. He made a popping sound as his lips left the rim of the glass and a thud was made as he put it back down. Silence had now dominated their dying conversation.

He wanted to be serious but it was hard with Bill. He shifted in his seat and slowly turned his brown eyes on his brother. "Ya gotta give it to her, Bill. I ain't seen you that happy since…well…shit, since never and goddamn it was good ta see ya acting like that. All happy-go-lucky and shit. But," he pursed his lips in thought. "But, I gotta admit I didn't think it was gonna last."

Tommy's gaze followed Arlene's finger up to the lava lamp. He smiled, he liked her taste in décor, "You got it," he was beaming, ecstatic that she'd taken him up on his offer. Honestly, he wasn't all that great with women...they liked him, but he just didn't have the whole...charming guy thing down that well. He'd always made better friends with women. He'd had a few girlfriends, his last one had just broken up with him a few months ago, on the grounds that he was just "too nice." He didn't' understand why women always wanted the bad guys, when perfectly good nice guys were all around.

He reached up, tall enough that he didn't need a stepstool, and began to pack up the lamp. "Well, I close up in about two hours..." He pulled the box down, carefully setting the lamp inside and began searching under the counter for the packing tape. "If you want...you can hang around here...I'll put on some good music. It hasn't been all that busy today." He found the tape, and began packing up the box. "Then, we can walk down to this great little place...it's just around the corner." He gave a little apologetic smile, "My car's in the shop right now." He finished taping up the lava lamp box, setting it down in front of Arlene. "There you go...all nice and secure..."

Bill's scowl only grew darker, looking every inch his age...disheveled, angry, bitter, and just plain worn out.

"Fuck you Budd..." he growled, tossing back the rest of his glass, which he immediately signaled to have refilled. "You don't know a goddamn thing about how it was...you don't have even the faintest fucking idea...you asshole….." Obviously, Bill's alcohol intake was higher at this point. He turned on his brother, voice taking on an emotional but deadly tone, "That was the happiest I have ever been in my whole fucking life...and you…..you just laugh it off……...like I was……fucking happy go lucky? Fuck you! You can't even begin to know what it was like...," he snatched up his refilled drink, "You…..ignorant...piece of shit...," he tossed back the drink...he couldn't even taste the tequila anymore, "...ya know Budd…...you've never really known much beyond shooting...fucking...and drinking...so how the fuck do you know what has the right to last and what doesn't…..huh?" He slammed his glass down on the bar, attracting a few glances from people sitting nearby, "I…...I had...every right to be that fucking happy," an unsteady finger leveled at Budd, "...and not have it snatched away from me...," he seemed to have lost some steam at his point, slouching forward, "…...like this..." He finished yet another refilled shot and pushed the empty glass forward. He signaled for another refill and rested nearly all his weight on his elbows, hands in his hair in a gesture of utter frustration and distain. "Jesus...fuck you...Budd…...I didn't ask for your fucking attempt to justify this."

Budd made a low noise in the back of his throat. He picked up his half consumed beer bottle, the only beer he was thinking of drinking that night, but now he was starting to think otherwise. He took a long swallow, finishing it off, and waved the tender over for another. He was well aware of what he had said being off grounds…..and as Bill saw….not his place, but he couldn't help it. But, now he knew better and he was going to shut up. He was going to go by the old saying; if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Beatrix was now seated across from the nice man she'd met at the record store. She liked him alot. He was nice, kind, and well mannered. She remembered a long time back when this was what she wanted and she did still want it; a nice normal guy that liked her for being a nice normal woman. This guy was the real thing, the classic nice guy; he wasn't a fake that was going to stab her in the back. Of course, Bea was acting the whole thing. This wasn't who she was, but she was going to try damn hard to pull it off. She was going to pull it off and make this new life work, because this was what she needed for her baby.

"My Pa is what you would call a miner. Diggin' up gold and silver in Perth. He used to bring me down to some of the abandoned shacks with a jack-hammer and a wheel barrel," she explained casually, over a half devoured hamburger with fries. Beatrix….or Arlene was enjoying making up a past to tell Tommy. She kept some moderate or based on truths in it so she wouldn't loose track of what was real and what was fake. Where on earth she came up with the lie about her 'family' and 'childhood' was unknown. It was very unorthodox and very un-Beatrix.

One could blame in on her fucked up hormones and she did, quite a lot. Her lips wrapped around the straw of her cherry coke and she took a long refreshing sip before continuing, "My mother, she died when I was ten. She was hit by a truck so I spent most of my life living with my Pa. He's a good guy." Little did Beatrix know, but subconsciously she based a great deal of Arlene's Pa on Bill. "He's very old fashioned…as you can tell by the gold mining," she laughed lightly and poked up a fry to dip in the glop of ketchup on the edge of her plate. Tommy seemed ecstatic to listen to her and she feed into it. "He and I were…close. Until I kinda fucked up and we got in some big to do and I stormed outta the house. That's when I took the job in Mexico." She raised the ketchup-ed fry to her mouth. "Biggest mistake of my life." And she bit into the fry and chewed casually.

Bill wasn't so gone that he didn't know that he'd clamped Budd up with that outburst. He knew when Budd made that little noise in the back of his throat he was both irritated and concluding with his business. And that was fine with Bill, fuck him. He didn't have shit to say that meant a damn to Bill. The only thing that meant a damn to Bill at the moment was Beatrix, and now she was dead.

Bill was anything but a religious person, but...if there was some sort of ...God-type thing...out there...then he had no doubt that this was this omnipotent being's big payback on him for being a murdering lying bastard for the majority of his life. That little bit of irony didn't help and he pushed it away with a deeper scowl.

The two brothers sat there in mutual hostile silence for a few minutes. Bill finished off yet another drink and got yet another refill. The TV blared on, he didn't listen, people talked around them, he didn't listen. "Bad Company" was playing on the overhead stereo system, he listened...and almost smirked at that. "When we leave this dump," Bill spoke up harshly, mumbling more to himself than Budd, "I'm going to get so lit up, I won't even remember what she looks like..." Bill of course was referring to stoned when he said 'lit up' and was of course referring to Beatrix when he said 'her.' Apparently Budd's attempt to stop his downward spiral wasn't having much effect thus far. And, of course...Bill knew that no amount of drugs or alcohol…….or time for that matter was going to make him forget Beatrix Kiddo.

Tommy sat in complete rapture as Arlene told him about her 'Pa', her family, her childhood...where she grew up. He was loving it. He loved hearing about people and their stories. And Arlene's life was one hell of a cool story. The small diner was the perfect setting, but honestly...Tommy could have been anywhere, his attention was fully focused on the beautiful woman sitting across from him.

"Arlene," he shook his blonde head, smiling from ear to ear, "You are one fascinating woman." He took a long sip of his cola, "Well, ya know...we all make mistakes. But, you quitting your job in Mexico and coming up to El Paso...," his eyes flashed with warmth, "...I don't think that was a mistake...hell," he chuckled, "...I'm really glad you came into my store today…...and I don't think that was a mistake either."

He quickly went back to his fries, covering up for that personal turn of things, "My childhood was far from that interesting...ya know….typical stuff. Was going to go to college, but didn't have enough money. My parents got a divorce when I was in high school...best thing they ever did for each other. Both of 'em remarried. I have an older sister, she lives in Casper Wyoming...married to a trucker, nice guy, drinks a little too much...but he means well. I played in a band for a few years after high school...," he gave her a look,"…….we weren't very good...we thought we were. But after three years of trying to get a label singing, and failing miserably, we gave up. So, I opened up the record store instead with the little bit of money I'd managed to earn." He finished off his burger, scrunching up the wrapper.

Beatrix swallowed the portion of burger in her mouth and picked up her napkin to wipe the food particles from her lips. "Wow, that is very cool. I've always worked for someone, I've never owned my own business and from what I saw your place is doing really well." In a way she envied Tommy just as she envied any normal person. His life was just as fascinating as her life was, or the life she was lying about. If she had told him about her 'real' life, that would have been more fascinating.

"You'll have to play for me some time," she commented in reference to his band years. She loved listening to music, but she had a feeling Tommy didn't play a flute. That single thought burned her stomach and she didn't finish the last few fries on her plate. But, she was on a mission, as assignment, so to speak, and she couldn't let the past cloud her thoughts. She blinked and put on a cute lopsided smile.

The waitress came over and began to clear away the practically empty plates. The tall blonde leaned back casually in her seat, arms crossed over her stomach, head canted to the side. She began in an overly cool toned voice, "You know, Tommy, I don't believe people just meet on a whim. I'm really enjoying myself tonight…more than you can imagine and…" she trailed off a moment to gain her words. "I don't want it to end, yet."

Tommy blinked, "Ok...yeah...sure...," he seemed a little surprised, but it was a good type of surprise. "That's great," he smiled, "Here….let me pay for it...," he held out a hand, covering the check, blue eyes dancing. "Well...ok..." he scrambled for his wallet, all of this had happened so quickly, "..shit, I wish my car wasn't in the shop. But hey," he snapped his fingers, a thought sparking, "...there's a little music festival going on downtown, a few blocks from here. I wasn't going to go...it's kinda boring by yourself, but if ya want we can take a stroll over there. I think it's just a couple local bands...they shut the whole block off, ya know, kids running around and stuff, it's pretty cool….they do it every month."

The waitress came by and cleared away the check with Tommy's twenty dollar bill on top. Arlene seemed pleased with the idea and the two of them headed out.


	4. Let's Get It On

It was nearing dusk, but the streets of downtown El Paso were pretty busy. As they walked in the warm night air, Tommy told Arlene some more about opening his store, since she seemed interested in that. He also told her that he played guitar, but he wasn't as good as used to be. He liked Bob Dylan, Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters. He wasn't a big modern music fan, but stocked some of it in his store for the high school kids who were vinyl collectors.

They strolled along slowly, taking their time; Tommy with his hands casually in the pockets of his jeans. He constantly kept flashing kindly smiles at Arlene, who was quite tall for a woman. He really liked that. Being so tall, he found that sometimes women found him a little too tall for their tastes, but with her he had nothing to worry about.

It didn't take long for them to reach their destination. The block was fenced off and there were a good amount of people lingering around, laughing, and having a good time. Somebody had set up a barbeque...kids were running around. There was a stage further down that was being set up for the first band. The two of them had only been there about a minute before Tommy was soon spotted by people who knew him. It was obvious people really liked him and that he had a lot of friends. He introduced Arlene to a couple of his friends, a socialite by nature. Eventually, he had his hand on her shoulder.

Beatrix was so fucking happy she was beaming. She hadn't had this much fun since Paris. Wait, that was dawning on the past and she flipped back. Standing beside Tommy and being introduced to the locals felt completely natural. She had on a wide, pearly white exposed smile; one of those rare smiles that was anything but fake. She was polite and inviting to everyone she met. There was casual conversation and Beatrix had to retell a lot of her earlier lies to Tommy and soon it became second nature. She was moving into her alternate life. A life that didn't consist of jetting around the world, killing human beings, and being paid vast sums of money……and it was going to work. She was going to make it fucking work if it killed her.

The conversation between the locals was dying down as everyone began to fan out to enjoy the music. The bands weren't all that bad and on occasion Beatrix felt herself swaying idly to a tune or two. Tommy had noticed and swayed along with her. This made the tall blonde laugh.

As the night drew to a close and the bands began playing the last round of songs; Beatrix had consciously leaned into Tommy as they stood amongst the crowd. It was odd being able to lean her head against a chest and not a shoulder. Tommy was tall and she liked that. She always found it an annoyance when she was taller than everyone else. Well, she wasn't taller than…. …. Tranquilly half lidded blue eyes peered up and over to the man beside her. Her lips parted as if to speak, but instead she looked away to the band.

Tommy was all smiles and hugs to those around him and he couldn't be happier that Arlene had taken so well to his numerous introductions. Some people could get overwhelmed by Tommy's very social lifestyle...but she seemed to handle it just fine. Even better, she liked music! This was a major bonus in his book.

While Tommy was very social and loved people, he wasn't quite as adept at reading feminine signals as say...other men Beatrix had been with. So when Arlene settled her head against his chest and peered up at him, he simply smiled back; a very sweet smile, but one devoid of any sort of major understanding in her body language. "This band is so good," he murmured to her, eyes back on the stage. He did eventually wrap a big arm around her shoulders though. He had to admit, he was a little shocked at how quickly Arlene had taken to him, but...on the other hand he wasn't complaining. She was an amazing woman and he counted himself lucky to have met her and to be able to spend the evening with her.

Sometime later, as the last band was packing up, they made their way down the slightly more deserted block. Tommy had gone back to putting his hands in his pockets. They strolled on for awhile, talking casually between themselves.

"God...I should probably walk you home Arlene...," Tommy suggested finally, "...but...I just realized, I have no clue where you live. Did you drive to my store or walk?" El Paso was small, but it wasn't that small...he just hoped she didn't' live across town. "Damn broken down car," he gave her a lopsided smile.

Beatrix gave off a little giggle at his words. She found Tommy's attitude not quite adorable and not exactly cute but somewhere in between. It was obvious he hadn't been around many women before as she had given off more signals than a goddamn dog in heat. She had to remind herself that this was the real deal. This was the nice guy she wanted and the nice guy wasn't always the smart guy. So, she had to play her cards right in order to acquire that full house.

"I live two blocks down on Cimarron road in that new apartment complex." Seeing that Tommy knew what she was talking about they continued down the vacant street. During their walk to the apartment they spoke on the bands that just played. Who they thought were good, their favorite songs, and Beatrix was given some gossip on some of the people she had encountered during the night.

The apartment complex was on Cimarron Road as stated. The block was a complete row of apartment complexes that were put up within the past year. They were all one level, similar to a town house but not quite. They were packed close together but not so that it was over crowded and the various Texan style decorations gave the block a warm aura. Beatrix dug her keys out of her pocket as they ascended the set of stairs up to the white painted door.

The tall blonde in a very docile manner clicked the key in the lock and pushed the door ajar but she didn't step inside. Instead she turned to the tall man before and looked up at him with bright blue eyes. She licked her lips attentively. "I had a lot of fun tonight."

"Me too...shit...I had so much fun," Tommy replied with a nod, a warm gaze fixed on the woman across from him. Tommy was not the type to lie, and even if he had, it would have been far too easy for Beatrix to tell...but he sure as hell wasn't. "Honestly, Arlene...I haven't had this much with a woman…..in a long, long time, hell probably never. You're a real sweet woman," he said, his smile widening, "...and…..I think you're very special. I know we just met...but there's just something about you..." He rubbed the back of his neck, "Heh...well...I should probably go…..but seriously," he fixed her with a look that was about as intense as his looks came, "...I would love to go out with you again...soon. Like tomorrow," he chuckled, aware of his own overzealousness. "But...," he looked momentarily serious, "Only if you want to of course."

Now she had to lay it on thick and quick if she wanted to be successful. Keep in mind Beatrix was no slut and never did she act like one unless it was on assignment. This wasn't an assignment but…she was acting. Blue eyes came half lidded and her smile took on a twist that suggested the classic and all out deadly appeal of sexuality. "I'd love to," she cooed gently as a hand idly began traveling along Tommy's muscular arm.

A stack of emotional turmoil washed over the tall blonde in a manner of seconds. Beatrix Kiddo, the woman behind the mask was the one in turmoil not Arlene. Beatrix was already loyal to someone and she was carrying that someone's baby. She didn't feel that what she was going to do was wrong, because in her mind this was in the best interest of her unborn child. It was all for her baby and she couldn't let herself think about the father. She couldn't think about…Bill. Bill…her corruptor, teacher, superior, the father of her child, and the man she loved. As much as she'd deny it in later years she always would, deep down but for now she wasn't Beatrix Kiddo, Bill's gal, she was Arlene Machiavelli and she didn't belong to anyone, yet.

Attentively she let her hand come to the back of Tommy's head and she gingerly brought his face to hers. Blue eyes closed and she placed her lips to his in a sensual but well mannered kiss. It didn't last long as she let out a short breath and pulled away. Arms quickly crossed over her chest and her demeanor completely switched. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have done that…"

"Oh no...that's ok...," Tommy replied, eyes a little wide. Again, he hadn't been expecting that, but he certainly welcomed it. He'd kissed a lot of women on the first date...but, hell...had they even been on a date to begin with?

No matter...she'd just kissed him, and it had been really, really nice. Tommy perhaps wasn't entirely clever, but he wasn't stupid either...and most of all, he was still a man. He was starting to pick up on Beatrix's signals now...somewhat after the fact.

"Hey," he took a step closer, "It's alright...seriously..." his voice was hushed, large hands clasping onto her upper arms in a gentle gesture, "...I liked it...don't feel bad." He wanted her to do that again, but...he wasn't the most assured guy when it came to that sort of thing and wasn't the type to demand either. "Look," he smiled, "...to make you feel better, I'll do it this time." Tommy was 'nice' all around after all. He bent down and kissed her, a little tentatively, hands still safely on her upper arms.

Oh God, he was so goddamn nice Beatrix felt like a giddy school girl, well a giddy and sexually aroused school girl. In the back of her mind she was still having difficulty believing she was meeting her nice guy and he wasn't going to try and kill her. He was just plain and simple. This time when he kissed her she pushed in adding more appeal and untouched affection to it. She kept away from coming off as lusty because that indicated a one-night-stand and the last thing she wanted was to turn Tommy off like that.

She broke the kiss with slight hesitance and her face lingered inches from his. Her breathing came off exaggerated, but not so much that it wasn't appealing. She pursed her lips and turned her eyes down cast. "That was nice," she commented in a hushed tone. Her eyes slowly came back up to him and her face glowed with a child-like innocence. "Really nice."

If Tommy had been just a tad more perceptive of female indicators, he could easily have seen that this woman wanted to fuck...to point it bluntly. But, he did know enough to see that she really, really did like him. And he did know the signs of a woman who was done and ready to end the night. But, she hadn't done any of those things...instead, she continued to stand there, gazing up at him with those beautiful large blue eyes and he was as susceptible to those womanly charms as the next man.

Tommy smiled, although this smile held a bit more hint of intention than any of those before. "Thank you," he replied...because that was the only thing he could think to say at the moment. He stared down at her for a few seconds. He certainly wanted to kiss her again, but...he wasn't so sure...this was all happening so fast. Tommy was something of an old fashioned guy. His hands squeezed her upper arms affectionately, "Ya know...Arlene...I really like you...and...," he smiled, "...I really like what just happened...but…..is this all a little too fast for you...or...," he paused, "...are you ok with it?"

Tommy's all out nice disposition was coming off as a major turn on for Beatrix; if that wasn't established already. Her chin tilted down to her chest but blue eyes stayed locked up to his own. "Oh, I'm fine," she replied keeping that softened tone of voice. And she was fine, more than fine. She wasn't a hundred percent sure if Tommy was fine with it. He seemed hesitant and unsure but she knew he'd push all of that aside like any man and follow along if she pushed enough.

Silence dominated the heated air around them, but silence didn't mean that actions had to be silent. The tall blonde moved her arms up, looped around his neck, and she gingerly brought him back down for another round. She wasn't forcing him. She could tell that Tommy was old fashioned and she was old fashioned too, or at least she usually was. Hell, it took her five fucking years to get to this point with Bill and she was getting to this point with Tommy in five minutes.

This kiss was much more passionate than the other ones. She took a step closer as the kiss lingered.

Tommy was quickly getting the full picture. Knowing now that Arlene was OK with all of this...and that she had just initiated a full out passionate kiss, he was more than willing to reply back. He felt a little weird making out with a woman he'd known for only a few hours. But, there was something about her that was very special. Sure...OK...so she appeared to really need some action, but...he didn't think of her as slutty...she just didn't seem the type.

Finally feeling free to move a little more, he wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He was a big guy, and this gesture nearly enveloped her lean form. This time, when she broke the kiss he moved in for another right away. And holy shit...she was one hell of a kisser...he'd never kissed a woman who could kiss like this. This made him think of what other things she was equally as good at, and...as was the tendency, Tommy was just much a man as any. Of course, he still retained that aura of old fashioned gentlemanly behavior, but his tentative beginnings to the whole episode were melting away.

Every man was a little different in their 'style' and Tommy's style seemed very protective and warm. He kept his arms wrapped tightly around her shoulders. He hadn't tried to touch her hair, or caress her face, or kiss her neck...he was more of a hugging kind of guy and at the moment he seemed a little overwhelmed just kissing her.

If a woman offers herself willingly to any man, than that man would be a jackass not to take advantage of it. Beatrix hated coming off as needy but if she was going to act needy she was being needy for affectionate attention. Tommy was giving her tender kisses that she'd never received before. It was a completely different atmosphere and she couldn't help but feel overwhelmed. The mere fact she had to tilt her head up in order to kiss him was daunting enough.

But whatever conniving plan Beatrix had in her mind was starting to dissipate. She was melting into Tommy as were her original intentions. Perhaps the fact that their intensifying and still gentle kisses were leading through the apartment door and into the apartment was telling the tall blonde she wasn't just acting anymore. Tommy was a nice guy and from what she was getting he was a damn good kisser.

She idly kicked the front door closed as they stepped inside, still wrapped up in his arms, she felt a sensation of being overpowered. Tommy was a big guy, taller than herself and as much as Beatrix wasn't acting anymore, she had to act a little. She was a dominant person and liked having complete control of any situation. Tommy only looked empowering; under all that muscle and lean body he was a cuddly bear. So, it was time to rustle the bear up from hibernation. Thus being the reason her top was now on the floor and long white fingers were weaving through his hair.

Tommy's plans for the evening were once again changing. First, it had been to have a nice evening with Arlene, then...it had been to make out with her a bit…..that was nice, and now...well...she most definitely wanted to get him into bed.

He thought about it...for about two seconds...and happily complied.

She was beautiful, she was nice...he liked her...she was one damn good kisser...he watched as she removed her shirt...she had a great body...so why the hell shouldn't he?

There was also a strange power to her...and not just in a female sort of way, but a physical power. He was often afraid he'd hurt women, but with her...he didn't feel that at all, in fact...he had the strange sensation that she could probably hurt him if she chose to. Yet, she was gentle...like himself...and that was the best part. And indeed, while Tommy looked very masculine and dominating in stature, he was far, far from it. He had the body of full male machismo and very little of the attitude.

He pulled away from her, and shrugged off his flannel shirt and then pulled off his t-shirt. Needless to say, he was no disappointment to female eyes and he possessed that sort of broad shouldered, broad chested look that many women loved.

He wasn't exactly sure how they'd gotten inside...but they had, and Arlene was most definitely heading for the bedroom at the end of the small hallway. He continued to hold onto her tightly. Kissing her, as they slowly made their way that direction. When they reached the bedroom, he stopped down to quickly rid himself of his shoes, and standing back up to kiss her, he touched her face for the first time...it was a very sweet and gentle gesture.

Beatrix tilted her face into his touch. She was always a sucker when it came to tender face caressing and Tommy's caresses were very nice. Seeing Tommy half naked was exhilarating in a sense. With blue hues half lidded she let her hands run down to trace over his chest area. Some habits never died.

One thing Beatrix swore she wasn't going to do, and she made this effective the second she was kissing Tommy extremely close to the side of that queen sized bed with a brand new comforter, was she wasn't going to compare. This was Tommy, not Bill and through years of experience and tactful training she was able to lock it all away. As she had been known to do in previous experiences she put thoughts, memories, scars, and anything else that could hinder her in the back of her mind and locked the door…but the entrance was always there.

All of that put into motion she upped the passion on her kisses, pushing her body closer to his, and letting her hands wander aimlessly.

Tommy was on full automatic pilot now. He hadn't been with a woman for a few months, and while this was certainly unexpected, he couldn't have been happier with this turn of events. Arlene was so beautiful...and...so knew what she was doing...that he could have only dreamed to have a woman like her.

He wasn't entirely aware of everything that he was doing, but he wasn't worried...that's what usually happened anyways. Eventually, he sat down on the edge of the bed, pulling her down with him. He performed the 'cheating maneuver' for removing her bra, this involved pulling down the straps to loosen it and eventually fumbling the rest of it off.

He touched her hair, and found it unbelievably soft...like a golden silk. He realized what he'd been missing out on...he should have touched it earlier.

Arlene was defiantly a kissing kind of woman...some women didn't like that so much, but she certainly was...so he tried his best to keep that going.

Beatrix decided before things started getting intense to effectively remove her jeans. She was going to lay off the tight attire from now on; not just because she was most likely wasn't going to be able too pull it off, but she wasn't killing anyone anymore. It had become habit and she had to start breaking some of those habits she had grown to love and hate over the years. Her jeans removed and all of this done without breaking a kiss she allowed Tommy to ease her comfortably into the middle of the bed.

The soft cotton of the comforter that was a dull blue in color conformed to the back of her body. Blue eyes stared up at the man on top of her in an all out inviting and seductive manner; which she pulled off perfectly.

And Tommy was a complete sucker for that look, like most men would be.

He slipped off his own pair of jeans, taking a moment to kick his socks off. He kept a serious but sweet expression throughout all of this. He had a pair of black cotton boxer briefs on underneath his jeans, and after a quick glance at Arlene, decided to just go ahead and remove those as well. He crawled back over her, kissing her again. He had a very quick thought of maybe saying something about being safe about this whole thing...but, that thought vaporized when Arlene removed her remaining underclothing and he became far too distracted to care.

He flashed her a little smile, that was rather shy and perhaps even a little nervous in nature as he looked down at her...his hands resting on either side of her head. The look in her eyes was blatantly obvious.

As stated, Tommy was a gentle guy...and he always tried to make sex as gentle as possible. He wasn't fully confident in himself...he had to be honest about that, but he was confident that he could remain gentle throughout everything. So, when he finally got down to doing the deed, he tried to do just that.

Sex with Tommy was nice. It wasn't intense, wild, or erotic, but it was sweet, gentle, loving, and affectionate. That kind of sex you expected to have with candles and music and a floor of rose petals. Beatrix had enjoyed it and it was defiantly an experience to put on record. She was lying in bed beside a man she had only known for less than twenty-four hours and yet she felt as if she knew him much longer.

Tommy was sleeping peacefully beside the tall blonde. The bedroom was pitch black except for a spill of light from the outside. The soft white glow etched over Beatrix's sheet covered form, which was worn and all out exhausted from the events of the day. It would have been smart to sleep, but instead she was awake. She was lying on her side, back turned away from Tommy, and her hands were tucked against her chest.

Blue eyes were void with a glossy tint as they stared steadily at nothing. She wasn't sure if she could blame it on hormones or the real reason she was swept over with a feeling of complete sorrow. Her assignment had gone down better than first anticipated and she was happy……but she felt lonely. There was a handsome, wholesome, nice man sleeping beside her and she had a hole in her heart…..and in her stomach.

A hand idly traced down, palm open, settled against the small barely noticeable rise in her stomach. She couldn't ignore the fact that she was still very much pregnant and now that she had sex with another man she could pull it off. She could get away with it all too easily and she was going too….but….she couldn't ignore who the baby's real father was; Bill. And Beatrix was thinking about Bill. She may have left him for reasons he would have found completely and utterly irrational but in her mind they made perfect sense. She made sure it made sense before she decided to never come back. Her choice was in the best interest of 'their' child. And the best interest was leaving Bill, but that didn't mean she couldn't still miss Bill.

She missed everything about him. As much as she didn't want to compare, she had compared Tommy and Bill….and how they were two completely different people. Everything that Tommy was Bill wasn't, and she wasn't sure if she loathed or loved that. Beatrix didn't want her new life to conflict with her old one. She thought it was going to be easier adjusting, but it wasn't. She felt like emotional shit. Her hand came up from her stomach and she used the side of her hand to brush away a rather stray and uncalled for tear from her cheek.

She rolled back over to face Tommy. This was her new life and she was going to make it work. It was her clean slate and she was going to keep it clean.

* * *

It was often said that you looked as shitty as you felt, and in Bill's case...this was most likely true. Although, in Bill's mind...if he indeed look as shitty as he felt, he would appear to be nothing more than a crumbled pile of waste...and he wasn't quite there...yet.

He sat across from O-Ren, slouched in his normal type of male posture...but there was a sense of defeat to it now. He looked edgy; hair not quite combed, his normally neatly trimmed sideburns having turned into the starting of a beard that most prominently stuck out on his chin and upper lip in a mish mash of grey and dark brown stubble. The bags under his eyes spoke volumes, but there was also a frightening unstable look in his dark eyes that spoke far more volumes than even the bags underneath them. He was wearing the same shirt he'd worn yesterday; which was something of a first in the history of Bill His watch was on upside down. He was barefoot, which at least was pretty normal for him. He was clutching to a ceramic tea cup; inside a concoction Nikishi had made a whole batch of earlier that morning.

After he and Budd had returned from the bar the night before, Bill had indeed fulfilled his desire to get stoned out of his mind. He smoked five bowls...all by himself; which is rather amazingly ridiculous. But, having just drunk a whole batch of hard liquor, the combination of the two only managed to make him sicker than a dog. Bill of course, knew very well the rather unsavory consequences of mixing hard alcohol and weed...and maybe he'd done it on purpose. No, he'd most certainly done it on purpose, because three bowls in he started drinking more hard liquor.

Thus, he didn't sleep much the entire night...he was too fucked up and sick the entire time. Eventually, he fell into a short fitful black out state...which, for some reason, turned into some weird dream/hallucination. At first he'd been in the desert; this wasn't too surprising, seeing as Bill had been having desert dreams most of his life…..but then there had been something about Beatrix...he should have expected that too. They had made love...it had of course been hotter than hell...but then the whole thing turned grisly and he kept having flashes of her dying by different methods...shot, stabbed, hacked up, burnt and so on. Bill had seen all of these things in real life numerous, numerous times...so he didn't have to imagine what it would look like. Then it had all melted into a deserted expanse of brown fields, a brown sky and cinematic rolling tumbleweed. The landscape went on for infinity...and he had stood there in the middle of it all with a pistol in his hand, overwhelmed by a sense of complete emptiness. Not that kind of causal sense of emptiness either, but one that went beyond anything he could comprehend.

He woke up after that on one of the back patio chairs, drenched in a cold sweat, his head hanging off the side of the chair. He wasn't sure if he'd started out on the back patio or not…..he couldn't remember. The sun was just starting to rise. He couldn't sleep after that...mostly because he ended up getting sicker, and likewise he had no desire to return to whatever mental delusion he'd just come out of. He'd had some crazy hallucinations throughout his life, but the emotional weight attached to the one he'd just had was too much to relive.

Eventually, with everything out of his system, he'd trudged into the kitchen and tried to make some tea. At that point, Nikishi had shown up to work and had strolled into the kitchen. She had stood there staring at him, as he stared back at her. There had been a few moments of potent non-verbal communication between them. Then speaking softly in Japanese, Nikishi began making tea as he watched her in a pitiful almost childish fashion.

Now, a few hours later, fully sober, hung over and still without Beatrix...except the one he'd seen in his mind, Bill sat unmoving, his edgy gaze on O-Ren...or well..more like looking past O-Ren.

"So...that's pretty much the gist of the assignment," he finished up; voice croaking after all the abuse his throat had taken throughout the previous evening/night. He uncharacteristically fumbled with the manila envelope and slowly started pushing the paperwork back in. "I expect you can wrap this one up within a day or two..." he continued, somewhat mechanically, "...then…..get back to me when you're finished...as is typical."

O-Ren was known for being the soft spoken but highly lethal squad member and she always would be. Even sitting there watching as her boss tried to explain an assignment she remained completely placid. Only the creases on her freckled features indicated her concern. She had known Bill for at least ten years, maybe more, and she had never seen him like this. Seeing Bill in such a state could make the Devil himself grimace in emotional distress.

She wouldn't deny she was…pleased to know Beatrix was most likely dead. And she wasn't that surprised it was on assignment. This only proved that her 'judgments' upon the silly Caucasian girl were indeed correct.

But as happy as O-Ren was, she could see that Bill wasn't happy. He really had cared about the bitch and as much as O-Ren had found it unfathomable, it had been true and seeing him like this only emphasized how much he cared. Well, she certainly didn't give a fuck about Beatrix but she gave a fuck about Bill.

The half breed gingerly took the manila folder from Bill's unsteady hands and pushed it away. Her soft brown eyes locked on his harder set. He clearly wasn't all there. "Bill, look at me," her words came off serious and in Japanese no less. She wanted his full attention. Once received, or partially so, she continued, "Go lie down and sleep off whatever shit you fucked yourself up on." She wanted to tell him to look at himself and what all of his self pity had lowered him to but she wasn't going to. Bill was in a fragile state and if he wanted a sensible shoulder she'd listen, but for now she only commanded.

Bill looked back at O-Ren with as steady a glare as he could manage at the moment. Which wasn't really all that steady and seemed far more disheveled and scattered than one would think him capable of. He seemed to be having a constant inner conversation and turmoil with himself, which was taking up most of his attentions...but he wasn't disillusioned...not anymore, and he attempted to give O-Ren as much attention as he could spare at the moment.

There were times when O-Ren seemed to take on that somewhat 'strong daughter' persona with him, and at that moment he certainly felt that; as if he was the weak and silly old man she needed to talk sense into. And he knew she was probably right...but that didn't mean he was going to act like she was.

"I'm fine...," he said after a moment, respecting her Japanese dialect with a likewise reply. "I'll lay down when I damn feel like it...and right now...I don't fucking feel like it." Actually, he felt like he was going to be sick again ...but he wasn't about to admit that; instead, he took another long distracted sip of tea.

He glanced back at O-Ren with that shifty unfocused look; taking note of her expression. He knew O-Ren very well...and even now he could easily read her. "I don't want your concern O-Ren...," he croaked, normally smooth voice still sounding like shit, "...in the end...you didn't give a shit about Beatrix…..most importantly...you didn't give a shit about Beatrix and I, so don't waste my time with your well practiced pity. That's not who you are, so skip it. Likewise, I don't need your well mannered pep talks or stern disciplinarian ideals...or...whatever the fuck..." he waved a hand. Brutally typical in a Bill fashion...but he wasn't lying either. He didn't want to hear anything from anybody...even if deep down he really did. And deep down, he respected O-Ren…..immensely, and if anybody was going to be sensible it was her...but he couldn't deal with it, not now. It was far easier to push people away.

Instead, he changed the subject, which was rather silly, seeing as he was somewhat incapable of getting off the one subject that had taken over him. "Do you have any questions about the assignment?" He asked dully, switching back to English.

He didn't give a shit about this assignment. He should, but he didn't. He didn't give a shit about anything right now, except for the fact that he was never going to see Beatrix...his woman...the woman who he'd never ever even begin to be able to replace...again. He simply...just didn't care about anything else. He knew he was being selfish, and stupid...neglecting things he'd worked his whole life for...he knew that. But...Bill was, as it turns out, a human being...and a human being's broken heart took precedence over everything else in that first raw period of pain and healing.

Bill's self destruction might have seemed rash or even silly to those around him, but he needed to do it...that was just the way he was; a touch of the masochist and the persona of the destroyer coming out on full force.

He pursed his lips, raising his brows rather flippantly at O-Ren.

Unlike Bill's brother, when brushed off in such a manner, she didn't take it to heart. It did piss her off and the noticeable flare in her façade proved this. Bill was acting like a fucking foolish old man and he knew it and what pissed off the half breed was he was going to continue to be such. She always respected Bill as a boss and most importantly as a surrogate father, but right now her respect for him was dwindling. She had never experienced the loss of a lover. She had lost her parents whom she loved dearly and perhaps that could be put in the same context. So, this idea in mind, she knew mourning the dead had its phases. Bill was in the self pity stage and would soon move away from that. This phase was just much more…intense…

Knowing of this more intense stage O-Ren decided to react differently to his words than she first would have. "No," she replied bluntly. "I don't have any questions." Her other reply would have been much more heated and 'lecture' worthy if she didn't think about that other phase. She idly slid off the bar stool and took a step away. She could have just left without another word but that other gentler side kicked in. "Try and get more sleep." And with that she turned and left, leaving Bill to his own self demise.


	5. The Devil Incarnate

It was well past ten in the morning when Tommy finally awoke. He blinked a couple times to clear away the drowsiness, and then blinked a few more to make sure that the whole previous day and night hadn't been some kind of crazy dream.

But it hadn't...and when he rolled over Arlene was still there...she was awake and beside him in all of her amazing beauty. "Hi...," he smiled, leaning on his elbow to gaze at her. The room was lit up brightly by the morning sun and it shone off her porcelain skin in a way he'd never seen before with a woman. He was still grasping onto the idea of what had just happened.

The sex had been great, really nice...Arlene was amazingly good in bed...not that he really cared that much about those kinds of things. But, more than that...he just couldn't believe he'd met somebody like her...she seemed perfect in every way.

He leaned over and kissed her cheek sweetly. "Wow...did all of that happen?" He laughed good naturedly.

Beatrix joined in with a slightly girlish giggle. "Yeah, I think it did," she replied in an equally awe-effected tone of voice. She was up five minutes before Tommy and in those five minutes she was able to completely switch. She had her little cry and moment of self pity, and now she could focus on the more important things. Like the fact she was lying next to a handsome and nice young man.

She rolled onto her side to face him with a smile on her face and blue eyes beaming through that groggy exterior. "How are you feeling?" She asked casually, hands shifting to fold under her cheek.

Tommy beamed back, bright eyes ablaze with life and newfound affection for the woman next to him. "I feel great...really great," he replied in a completely genuine and almost naïve tone of voice, "That was...so nice..." He shifted one of his muscular arms to better support himself, but continued to gaze at her with awe. "You're so beautiful Arlene..." he whispered, "...so amazing...I know I haven't known you that long...but...I feel like I have." He leaned forward, kissing her sweetly but passionately. After a moment, he pulled away, a little reluctantly.

He obviously was still was a little dazed about this whole thing. It wasn't so much that they had slept together after having known each other only a few hours...it was just who she was as a person that really blew him away. Tommy was the kind of guy who was usually a friend with a girl for quite awhile before they dated...and in most of those cases, they never even dated. He was just friends with the girl. Again, that 'too much of a nice guy' thing had been his biggest shortcoming in dating.

But, there was none of that with Arlene. The fact that he was such a nice guy seemed to be a major turn on for her. And sure, they weren't exactly...dating...at least they hadn't made it official yet, but he had a feeling they would. He had been worried for a little bit there that Arlene was just looking to get laid, and then that would be it. But that concern had quickly been dispelled.

Tommy smiled again, his nose touching hers cutely.

Beatrix smiled from ear to ear and affectionately poked her nose back against his. She had never received an 'Eskimo' kiss, as it was a very non-Beatrix type thing to do but, hell; now that she had it was oddly cute and enduring. "The feelings mutual," she commented in regards to knowing one another for longer than they had. She shifted her position to gain further comfort. She felt content enough, and that feeling was leading into a state of tranquility.

"My apartment has hardly enough food to feed a mouse…So," her lips pursed. "I can't offer to make you breakfast." Not that she was a good cook to begin with, but anyone could put toast in the toaster and whip up some eggs….unfortunately she didn't have those cooking items. The next idea came to mind. "If I can manage to force myself out of bed would you like to go out for breakfast?" A brow raised a fraction in characteristic question.

Tommy glanced at the small digital clock on the rather empty nightstand behind Arlene's shoulder, "That sounds great...," he thought for a moment, "...how about we pick up something to go. I usually like to have the store open by 11. We could take it there and eat there...I do it all the time." He smiled, as he had a tendency to do very often, "...I know this great breakfast place...it's not far from the store. They have the best omelets in El Paso." He sat up, "Wait...you don't have a job or anything yet? I'm not keeping you away from doing something?" He inquired, obviously concerned about this.

Beatrix laughed lightly and she shook her pretty blonde head that was matted from sleeping. "No, you aren't keeping me from anything," she assured after the laughter died down. "I'm unemployed." That said, a spark of remorse went off in those bright blue eyes, but it would be hard to catch as she turned to gather up her clothes from the floor. The spark died out and she peered over her shoulder to Tommy with a thin smile. "And that leaves me with nothing but time to spend eating breakfast on the go with you."

She slipped out of bed, clothes in hand, and went to the dresser to exchange her dirty attire for something suitable for the day.

* * *

Elle was angry.

She was angry for a number of reasons, and one of them was certainly not the likely fact that Beatrix Kiddo was dead. Elle was ecstatic about that. But, her anger was overriding that happiness for the moment. She was angry that Bill had turned into such a goddamn pussy over a bitch like Beatrix. She was angry that there wasn't much anybody could do...Bill was a stubborn jack ass and he was going to make a complete wreck of himself no matter what any of them said or did. She was angry at the now dead Beatrix for causing this to happen to Bill, because Elle did care for him...quite a bit. But most of all...Elle was angry because she was painfully aware that if she were the one who had ended up dead and not Beatrix, Bill would never have reacted like he was now; he would probably hardly have noticed with that blonde bitch fucking him. Yes, Elle was upset because she would never have received this sort of reaction from Bill...in other words; she knew that Bill had loved Beatrix the way that Elle had always wanted him to love her.

So...as it turns out, like Bill, despite being a cold hearted killer, Elle was all too human as well.

Elle was now sitting on the back patio, a burning cigarette propped between two of her bony fingers. Budd was there, shithead. He was standing behind her smoking as well. Bill was sitting a few chairs away...smoking as well, although he was not smoking a cigarette. He seemed to be favoring this one patio chair the last few days, as told by the rumpled Mexican woven blanket he'd draped over it, the littered rolling papers, a few empty drinking glasses, his propped open forgotten cell phone, and Elle had to admit, one wicked looking wooden dragon pipe, At the moment, he had his laptop cradled into his lap, pecking slowly at the keys, the other clutching his joint lovingly. He looked highly irritated…...on top of looking like complete and utter shit that is.

"I hate this fucking computer," he growled.

Elle pursed her red lips, "Bill...why don't you ditch the joint...it's only making you more irritable..." She was trying to help.

"No," he replied stubbornly, taking one long drag while looking directly at her, as if to rub it in.

Elle scowled, slumping back into her chair. She glanced at Budd, who exchanged a look with her. Normally Elle didn't like exchanging looks with Budd, but right now was an exception.

She turned back to the disheveled man…..she'd thought she'd known as Bill, "Just skip the laptop thing and fill us in on the assignment." He had called both of them over here for a reason, and she didn't like sitting here watching him destroy himself all that much.

Bill's brow was furrowed into a permanent V, "I want to call up this particular spreadsheet…...that would really help with the assignment…...but…...I can't get this goddamn piece of shit to do what the fuck I want it to do…...keeps giving me this damn error...," he trailed off grumbling to himself.

Elle nearly rolled her eye, "Forget it Bill...we don't need it...let's just move onto the paperwork and s-.."

"You fucking need it!" Bill snarled viciously, brutally cutting her off, his scratchy voice rising to a dangerous level, "Now shut your fucking big mouth Elle and let me figure this out! If you don't, I will shut it for you!"

Elle stared at him, "Jesus Christ..." she mumbled under her breath, sinking back into her chair. She crossed her arms. Fuck him...she wasn't going to say another word.

Budd never felt bad for Elle, but at this moment he felt a tinge of sympathy for anyone that came within a five mile radius of Bill. Not only was it unsettling but it was goddamn depressing to see Bill in such a state of self demise. None of the DiVA's could do a damn thing to make it better or talk some sense into Bill. If they even attempted a word of condolence there was a likely good chance they'd loose a body part, or at least be verbally abused.

Budd took a long drag on his cigarette and exhaled a puff before stubbing it out in the nearby ashtray. His somewhat glazed over brown eyes wandered back over to Bill. He puckered up his lips debating whether to speak or not. Bill was still fiddling with that goddamn laptop and by his disgruntled noises he wasn't having any more success than five minutes ago.

The waiting finally became too much and Budd exclaimed, "Fucking shit! I'm not standing here all day waitin' for that piece of shit to function. Either you tell us the assignment without that spread…whatever the fuck it is…or we're," a motion to the tall willowy blonde in front of him. ". . . walking." Of course by 'walking' Budd meant they were leaving the premises and most likely would come back at a later time.

"Like fucking hell you're walking," Bill growled, still glaring death at the laptop.

Elle glanced at Budd a little nervously, her eye twitching from one brother to the other. Of course, she knew Budd had meant walking in that very temporary sense, but she was more than a little paranoid of Bill at the moment...which...seemed to be general feeling amongst everybody. After just being brutally shut down, she wasn't about to say anything either way.

After a moment longer, Bill finally snatched up the laptop and slammed it shut with just a little too much force. "Fine, fuck it...," he dropped it roughly onto the small table next to his chair. He stood up, a little slowly, tossed aside his joint, and trudged into the house. "Let me find the goddamn paperwork."

Elle stared agape at him as he trudged inside. Bill, never...ever...lost track of his paperwork, nor did he come unprepared to talk about an assignment. She looked at Budd, "This is so fucking stupid," she hissed quietly so Bill couldn't hear her, "...Budd, do something for Christ's sake!"

Budd threw his hands up. "Goddamnit, don't you think I have!" His voice was hushed but Bill was far enough inside the house he most likely couldn't hear them anyways; not that he'd even care to listen. Budd was just as or even more concerned by his brother's lack of paperwork. As Elle said someone had to do something. Budd hated to be the one….so he roughly said, turning on the one-eyed-Viking-bitch, "You're talking to him with me." With this he grabbed her hand and more or less dragged her inside. Usually Budd never behaved like this with Elle, but they had mutual feelings on the subject, so this time they'd make an exception.

Bill was in the living room area shuffling through stacks of paper on one of the oak desks. It looked as though a hurricane had blown through. Budd narrowed his eyes and he licked his lips nervously. "Bill…listen…you can't go on like this…if you really looked at yourself you'd be disgusted. We all are….and hell…I think Bea would be pretty pissed off if she knew you were actin' like this too…" Budd certainly was no religious man but he kept to his fundamentals, and even a moron had his moments of being practical. He nudged Elle with his shoulder for back up. He sure as all hell wasn't going down alone.

Elle was still recovering from Budd suddenly, and very uncharacteristically, grabbing her and dragging her to face the Devil Incarnate. She felt like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, being dragged down that path to face the Wizard...no...wait that was the Cowardly Lion being dragged…..well...whatever, that's how she fucking felt. Bill was highly unpredictable right now, and...as much as she did care about him, she really didn't want to be near him at all at the moment.

She shot Budd a glare, but knowing that he was right, she turned back to Bill, pursing her lips in hesitation, "Budd's right...," she had to choose her words, very...very carefully,"...Bea wouldn't have wanted this. I don't think she liked you all that much when you were fucked up...so...do it for her." Elle didn't give a shit about Bea, but obviously Bill did, so maybe that was the best angle since nothing else seemed to be working. "And your being a serious asshole Bill," she added after a moment, forgetting about that choosing your words wisely thing.

Bill had watched both of them with a frigid, edgy and all out gloomy glare. He'd stopped shuffling through the mess of paperwork, freezing at their words. His fingers curled around the edge of the desk he was leaning on, knuckles white, "News flash..." he hissed, "Bea's dead...so it doesn't mean a motherfucking thing how I treat myself now does it?" He straightened up, a flash of that haughty self assured bastard showing in him as he took a few threatening steps towards them, "I really wish all of you would shut the fuck up and do your goddamn jobs...which," he grew a little too close for Elle's comfort, and she took a reflexive step backwards, "...doesn't include giving a damn about my state of being."

Elle glared at him. That was such a ridiculous statement. Why was Bea the only one who deserved such a dramatic devotion from Bill? What about the rest of them? What about her? "Fuck you Bill," she spat, before she really had time to think about it.

"Oh?" Bill turned on her, head tilted to the side in a sarcastic and threatening gesture. He stared her down for a few long seconds with a completely wasted and irate look. He then leaned into her face, "Get out Elle...get the fuck away from me."

Elle's eye narrowed as she took a step away from him, her mouth turned into an angry line of disgust. "Gladly..." she managed after a moment. With a glance at Budd, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the house.

Bill glared needles into her back as she left. His glazed over look shifted to his brother, "You're welcome to follow her out."

Budd shifted uneasily, but he made no motion to follow Elle. His hands slipped to his pockets and he pursed his lips. "Ya know Bill…I'm not an honorable or deep kinda guy but I know a thing or two 'bout giving a damn. And I give a damn about you whether ya want me too are not because…shit…we got the same whore for a mother," he let out a chuckle that died as quick as it came. "You gotta come to terms Bill. Bea's dead and that's all there is too it. Now you can continue to be a horses' ass about it, or you can pick yourself up and get on with life. She's not coming back. Hell, like they say on all those fucked up television shows; think about all those happy times you had together and move on." He shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and took a reflexive step back. "I'm gonna head out…and when ya feel like being the Bill we all hate and love, call me." The cowboy did a quick turn and headed for the door. Bill could stop him if he wanted to, but Budd was pretty much set on getting out of there before he could.

Bill watched his brother turn and leave, there was a quick flash of respect in his eyes that unfortunately Budd never saw. Budd was right and Bill knew it. Yes, and he knew that Budd did give a damn about him...and, deep down, Bill did give a damn about Budd. Just like Budd had said, they'd both had the same whore for a mother. And while they had never actually grown up together, they had spent much of their adult years together. They were far from alike, but they'd developed a sort of report that suited them very well. Budd possessed some qualities that Bill was completely devoid of...and visa versa.

Thus, as Budd sauntered down the hallway towards the front door, Bill called after him, "Budd..." But when his brother turned to look at him, Bill just waved a callus dismissive hand; changing his mind on whatever he was going to say and sending his younger brother on the way.

Alone, once again...by his own doings, Bill stood in the living room for awhile. He gazed blankly at he piles of paperwork without much devotion or thought. After a few minutes, he slowly meandered down the hallway to his bedroom. Budd's words...'You gotta come to terms Bill. Bea's dead and that's all there is too it,' ringing in his head. But, that was just it...he couldn't come to terms... Budd's other wise words, 'think about all a those happy times you had together and move on,' were forgotten...for the moment.

He stood at the foot of his bed for who knows how long; weed did that to you. He might have only been there for a minute or thirty...but...it didn't really matter. His hand was clutched at his chest, where it had been aching for days. If only it was a heart attack, but no…..he wasn't going to be that lucky. Hadn't Beatrix promised him she'd be there at the end? So, that didn't matter either...because she wasn't going to be there if he croaked tomorrow or twenty years from now.

He missed Beatrix more than he could even have imagined possible. If he were a woman, or a man of perhaps a frailer disposition, he probably would have broken down right then and there. But he wasn't and he didn't...that just wasn't who he was.

Feeling completely wasted, sick, old, empty, lonely, and devastated, he crawled across the top of his covers and collapsed. Even Bill couldn't hold back his own body's state of weariness for that long. And as much as he didn't want to sleep, and most likely dream...he wanted to escape reality even more.

* * *

Tommy sat with Arlene at the glass counter in his store, crate boxes serving as their chairs. He'd managed to open up just about at 11. Of course, nobody had come on in yet, which made him wish he'd not opened and taken a longer breakfast with Arlene. But, either way, he got to spend time with her and they were happily eating their omelets out of to go boxes. Tommy was obviously enjoying his omelet and he was pretty sure Arlene was as well. They chatted casually as they ate and Tommy put on some music.

"I have a few friends coming by the store today," he paused, plastic fork in hand, "I think you'll really like them...they are all really nice people. And, seeing as your new to town, it might be nice to get to know some folks." For some reason Tommy was taking it upon himself to acquaint Arlene with her new surroundings...well not….'some reason', the reason was he really, really liked her.

Beatrix swallowed the portion of food in her mouth. She had ordered a Western style omelet which consisted of peppers, onions, cheese, and salsa. This may not have been the smartest choice for a woman who was prone to fits of morning sickness, but hell she was hungry. Not to mention earlier the other day she stopped by the local Quick-E-Mart to skim through a "Motherhood" magazine. She recalled it mentioning during the first trimester getting bizarre food cravings. The Western Omelet wasn't bizarre but it was out of her normal food habits.

"Oh, that sounds great," she said with an added smile of warmth. Beatrix was known for being a loner, in a sense of the word, so now that she was opening herself up to meeting new people she was ecstatic. The whole experience continued to perplex her mind. She picked up the plastic fork and began to cut off another section of her half devoured omelet. "You are quite popular around here..." This noted on light terms. She envied that in Tommy; knowing how many good, close, and trusting friends that he had. "Or at least very friendly."

Tommy beamed, chuckling a little, "What can I say?" He shrugged, somewhat humbly, "People like me...and I like people. I've always been that way I guess," he drawled, taking the last bite of his omelet, "El Paso's great for meeting people, and having lived here for awhile, I've met some great people...as well as people I've met from other places." He fixed Arlene with a happy look, "I guess...I think it's a waste not to have as many friends as possible. We're all going though this life together, might as well make the best of it together." Tommy had his little philosophical moments now and then. He shrugged, "That's how I see it."

Tommy was just an all around pleasant guy, and while he was humble about it; people did indeed really like him.

After a few moments of finishing up Tommy cleared away their take out boxes. A few customers had come in and he helped them out. In-between helping people and doing random tasks around the store, he chatted with Arlene and before he knew it, he'd started showing her how to check in new products and categorize things. He wasn't consciously trying to put her to work, but she seemed like she wanted something to do while he wasn't able to hang out with her; and she took to the work very well.

Bea found that she enjoyed Tommy's philosophical moments. She had risked her life everyday, so the idea of sharing her life with anyone was a stupid ideal. She was a loner and by being a loner she didn't have friends. She didn't share her life with anyone. Well, she did with Bill, but that held too much weight.

But now living in El Paso she was free to gain those friends that she had brushed aside. The idea of having a friend that wouldn't stab her in the back or secretly loath her was exhilarating. Tommy was showing her the normal that she longed for.

Beatrix took to running the store as if she was born to do it. Which was a comforting feeling, since deep down she knew what she was 'really' born to do. She was enthusiastically humming along to a song on the over head stereo while stacking albums onto various shelves. Tommy was towards the front ringing up a middle aged man who bought an on sale selection of Beatles albums. That was when the front door chimed. As the tall blonde peered up from her in-depth assignment she noticed two women walk in. The woman who stepped in first looked around Beatrix's age. She was a normal type of pretty with straight auburn hair and lighter brown highlights that went down past her shoulders. It looked as though she spent a good two hours getting it that straight, she had a lean slender build, and dull gray eyes. She wore a pair of Tommy Hilfinger jeans, a baby-tee that was white with dark blue lettering reading; "Fight or Bust", and a pair of Puma sneakers.

"Tommy!" She called in a jubilant and almost peppy teenage leveled voice. "There you are! Erica and I were calling you last night to tell you about that special on VH1 but you didn't pick up," she seemed jokingly annoyed by this. "We thought you left the phone off the hook again."

Tommy looked up from the counter, where he'd been locking up the back panel, and smiled broadly at the two women who'd just walked in. "Janeen! Glad you guys came by." He addressed the woman who'd just spoke. He laughed at her comment, "Hah...no...I was just out...went out after work to that band block party thing." He wanted to say more, but...it wouldn't be proper.

"Hey Erica," he smiled at the other woman. He came around the corner and gave both of them friendly hugs.

"Hey Tommy," Erica smiled back. She was a pretty girl, slightly chubby, but with a very friendly pleasant face, brown hair and brown eyes...roughly about the same age as Beatrix. She was dressed in a pair of worn jeans, sandals, a Southwest looking print top cut in a cute fashion, and a necklace of small turquoise stones. Her brown hair was up in a French braid style.

It was obvious by Tommy's demeanor towards the two young women that they were good friends...but nothing more. Seeing as so many people seemed to like Tommy, it didn't come as too much of a surprise.

"Sooooo," Erica grinned, "Introduce us to your new help..." she gave Tommy a sly little look that friends shared oh no effectively. Neither of the women had missed the beautiful blonde working diligently behind the counter.

Smiling, Tommy led them over to Arlene. "Arlene...these are two of my friends I was telling you about, Janeen and Erica," he pivoted, gesturing to the tall blonde, "Janeen, Erica...this is Arlene. She's new to El Paso."

Erica smiled in a very friendly manner, white teeth showing, "Nice to meet you Arlene," she shook the blonde's hand. "Any friend of Tommy's is a friend of ours."

Beatrix had on a wide and not entirely fake smile as she shook both women's hands. They both held a very welcoming and warm presence that Beatrix soaked up. She had stopped her work behind the counter, although she reluctantly wanted to go back to it. In some manners of the word she could be a workaholic. "It's a pleasure to meet both of you," she replied.

Janeen was standing close to Tommy and nudged him playfully with her shoulder. "Honestly Tommy, where do you find them? Look at her; she's an adorable little angel."

The tall blonde 'angel's smile only brightened and she tilted her chin up in an almost regal stature. She could play the angel very well but she made one hell of a devil.

Erica laughed, "Yeah, seriously Tommy...she's adorable." She laughed again, giving Arlene's forearm a friendly pat, "Sorry Arlene...hah...we'll stop talking about you like you're not here," she joked. Erica seemed like a joking kind of gal.

She furrowed her brow at Tommy, "God Tommy...what's with putting the poor girl to work."

Tommy shrugged, giving Arlene a very warm look, "Hey, she wanted to...and I have to admit I need the help around here."

Of course, both Erica and Janeen were curious about the tall blonde. Tommy hadn't had a girlfriend for a few months...his last one had been a real bitch. And they had both been trying to set him up with various women lately. He was such a nice guy, it was a pity he didn't have a girl. So at the sight of Arlene, they were quite happy. She seemed just his type.

"Well Arlene," Erica turned to the tall blonde, "Whenever Tommy releases you from slave labor here...you're going to have to come out with us. Tommy likes to think he knows El Paso, but," she leaned in with a smile, playing it up, "...we know it a hell of a lot better."

Beatrix laughed but it was an uneasy laugh, though she covered it up enough with her wide smile that no one noticed. She was only uneasy in the whole situation because it was new and needless to say she was on the cautious side. She wanted to open up and become friends with the two women but she couldn't help recall all of her past friendships; if one could even call them that. But, thus the benefits of having been a trained killer she was able to switch off most of her 'paranoid' side and adapt.

"That'd be so great," Janeen piped in. "We can show you all of the local shopping centers and the best bars."

"Oh, I don't drink," Beatrix commented lightly. She used to drink but now with the baby she was staying away.

Janeen waved a dismissive hand and laughed. "Hell, we don't drink much either. We go there to check out all of the hotties." She grinned from ear to ear in that dopey but cute girlish fashion. "But," she gave the tall blonde a skeptical look. "Looks like you already got yourself a hottie." She motioned in Tommy's direction. "He's a good guy. He can be a little dense but we still love 'em."

Beatrix's blue eyes half lidded darted to Tommy, giving off that hidden dose of affection. She tilted her chin to her chest and shifted her position to lean closer to the counter. "Yeah, he's a…real…good guy."

Erica smiled, her brown eyes twinkling. Her and Janeen had suspected that the moment they came into the store, but...by Tommy and Arlene's reactions it was pretty damn obvious.

So...that's what Tommy had been doing last night. Erica hid a sly little grin. Maybe if she got to know Arlene better, she'd get the dirt on the whole thing from her. Erica had been friends with Tommy for quite a few years. When she first met him, she had to admit she had something of a crush on him, but...after a few months she realized he just wasn't really her type. He was a great friend, and she only wanted to see him end up with the right girl. She wasn't going to jump to any conclusions yet, but Arlene seemed like the best Tommy had met so far.

"Yeah," Erica laughed, "Tommy's something of the big dumb teddy bear type.."

"Hey!" Tommy interjected, only pretending to look mad. He didn't do mad all that well.

"Just joking..." Erica covered up, with a little wink to Janeen and Arlene.

"But yeah...you've gotta come hang out with us. Lotsa guys to scope out, you can just look...leave the touching to Janeen and I."

This brought around a little round of laughter from the women. Tommy, standing in the midst of this, looked a little overwhelmed. But, he still seemed amused and wrapped an arm affectionately around Arlene's shoulders.

Beatrix leaned into him. This was all too good an indicator that Tommy was feeling comfortable with her and she in turn with him.

"Aw, isn't that cute, Erica," Janeen cooed in a mockingly envious tone. Janeen had met Tommy through Erica, as she and Erica had been friends since preschool. She never had a thing for Tommy but treated him more as the big brother she never had. They were tight and she was more of the over protective type, in that friendly manner. She would be the first to always nit-pick Tommy's girl friends. "So, Arlene, where are you from?"

The tall blonde peered up, keeping a casual demeanor. "Originally Australia but I lived in Mexico for ten years."

"Australia? That's so cool! Were there kangaroos?"

Beatrix laughed well naturedly. "You could spot one or two on the outskirts if you were lucky."

"That's so cool." Janeen turned to Tommy and stuck out her lower glossy pink painted lip. "Come on Tommy, let her off the wagon. Joleen's back and we're meeting her for lunch in an hour and Arlene can come with us. We promise not to bring her back too jaded."

"Yeah, seriously Tommy...," Erica spoke up, "...she sounds far more interesting than you, and I know Joleen would love to meet her."

Tommy laughed, arm still around Arlene's shoulders, "Ok….ok...," he turned to look down at Arlene with a warm smile, "...don't let these girls corrupt you too much."

Erica rolled her eyes, "Oh please...we're as innocent as they come."

"Hah," Tommy replied, "Somehow I doubt that." But, he let go of Arlene, giving her hand a little squeeze as he did so, "Alright...well you ladies have a good time...think of my poor self here...working..." He put on a pouty face.

"Right..." Erica scoffed, knowing full well Tommy enjoyed his job more than anybody she knew. "Come on Arlene, quick...before he changes his mind." She laughed, giving Tommy a little shove, as her and Janeen whisked Arlene out of the record store and onto the sunny sidewalk.


	6. Arlene Vs Beatrix

Beatrix strolled down the sidewalk between Janeen and Erica. Even though she was a good foot or more taller than either of them, she felt squished. A thin smile was etched across her played up innocent facial features.

"Well Arlene, now that we've got you all to ourselves we're gonna play twenty questions on our way to meet Joleen. Oh, you'll like her," Janeen looked up to Arlene with a wide smile.

Beatrix liked Janeen. She seemed like the overly bouncy but not quite peppy type. Erica on the other hand seemed less bouncy and more of a warm hearted person. She had never been around these types of people. She had killed these types of people.

"First question," Janeen declared. "Why'd you move out here?"

Beatrix pursed her lips and averted her gaze to watch the passing of the sidewalk under her feet as she walked. "I quit my job. My boss was being an ass."

Janeen's glossy lips formed an 'o'. "Ooohhh, I know how that goes. Either they aren't payin' you enough, the job became boring, or you're boss started making grabs at your ass." She let out a laugh.

Erica was smiling with amusement; dying of curiosity at what Arlene's 'real' reason for leaving her last job was. Erica could be a bit nosy.

"Yeah, it was one of those," Beatrix replied slow but smoothly.

"I hate when that happens. You poor thing! Well, don't you worry things will brighten up soon." She bumped the tall blonde playfully. "Okay Erica, your turn to question the foreigner."

"Ok...hrm," Erica stuffed her hands in her jean pockets as they continued to slowly walk down the sidewalk; searching quickly for the next question to throw at Arlene. "Ok...second question. Obviously you and Tommy got acquainted really quickly," she wasn't going to expand on that idea….that would be a little rude. And, honestly...she wasn't really sure just how 'acquainted' they were. "So...what was is it about Tommy that made you like him?" She was curious, and well...having liked him a little in the past, she wanted to know what Arlene's perspective was on their friendly, tall, blonde guy friend.

She smiled at Arlene in a very friendly way, "If ya haven't noticed we're a little protective of Tommy."

Beatrix's smile turned tentative. She could easily answer that question or she could elaborate. She was never one for receiving pity from others. She despised it, but this time seeing as she was more or less lying she'd make an exception. "Oh, I understand. He's a good guy…actually he's the first good guy I've had the pleasure of being 'acquainted' with."

This raised brows from both women. Beatrix continued, "I haven't…dated…the greatest of guys. I tended to go for the bad rather than the good and," she shrugged her broad shoulders. "Seeing as Tommy is your classic good guy I fell right on my ass for him."

Janeen giggled lightly but her features soon contorted into a look of concern. "Aw, sweetie, Tommy is a real good guy. You won't find 'em any better. But," she fixed the tall blonde with a mock seriousness to get off the 'sympathetic pity' she added, "If you hurt 'em, we may have to kill you."

The tall blonde laughed. She shook her pretty blonde head slowly and blue eyes fixed to stare at the ground. "You don't have to worry about that."

Erica laughed at Janeen's 'killing' comment. "Don't worry Arlene, we've all been there...all of us have ended up with real jerks at some point. Wait until you hear some of Joleen's stories. God, she totally has this thing for 'bad boys', her last boyfriend, who just dumped her...was such bad news. Janeen and I keep trying to tell her to stop going after those types." Erica shrugged, "But...ya know, some girls just can't help themselves no matter how hard they try." She smiled, "Ok….ok...next question...and we'll stop with the Tommy stuff," she smirked, "...for now."

At this point the trio of young women had rounded the block and were heading for what looked like a hopping lunch place down the street. "Alright," Erica spoke up again, "...easy question, what made you want to move to El Paso?"

Beatrix somehow doubted Joleen could top her 'bad' guy. She had gone out with the ultimate bad guy and she had killed a few rather nasty ones. But, she wasn't looking to compare or contrast, not that she could go and tell them about all of her 'bad' guys. The whole idea was out and before she went and got herself into an emotional relapse. She casually answered the next question, "I always loved Texas and I had heard good things about El Paso from a few associates."

"Yeah, El Paso's neat. It's got that whole 'home on the range' feeling down tight," Janeen added with a lop-sided grin. "Okay, we'll stop the onslaught of questions for now. I know it wasn't twenty but we'll save some for Joleen."

Still chatting amiably; the three women finally made their way into the packed lunch joint. It took Erica and Janeen about two seconds to spot Joleen amidst the mass of other young-ish people.

"Joleen!" Erica called out, winding through the crowd.

Joleen was lounging at a corner table, and turned to look over her shoulder at the sound of Erica's voice. Joleen was roughly the same age as her friends. She was quite pretty, with smooth brown African American skin and features. Her eyes were large and intensely brown. Her hair was long, jet black and a little on the unkempt side...in that cool kind of way. She was dressed in tight jeans, a baby doll shirt and sneakers. She had the demeanor of somebody who was very calm and confident. She did also seem to have a slightly more...jaded sided than the others and her liking 'bad boy' types could be easily deduced; she did have a slight 'bad girl' sort of vibe about her.

"Erica...Janeen," she waved them over, eyes flicking momentarily to the tall blonde. Perhaps she was a little more wary of new people as well...but not really in a hostile way.

When they all managed to squeeze around the small table, Erica made the introduction. "Joleen, this is Arlene...she's new to El Paso and has just recently come into acquaintance of our dear Tommy." Erica's warm smile broadened.

"Ohhhh..." Joleen's dark eyes flashed a little with understanding. She shook Arleen's hand in a firm handshake, "Very nice to meet you Arlene...and Tommy," she winked a little, "...he's a good guy." Like her friends, Joleen was very protective of Tommy...she was a protective kind of person. And once she got to really like you...she'd always stand by you.

"How was Houston?" Erica piped up; snatching a menu out of the metal holder in the middle of the table.

"Shitty," Joleen admitted with a scowl, "Hot...crowded...terrible bars and far too many rednecks for my taste."

Erica chuckled, turning to Arlene, "Joleen works as a retail buyer...she has to take trips pretty often."

"Yeah, much to my dismay..." Joleen grumbled, but with a friendly smile at Arlene.

Beatrix returned the smile. She could completely understand the lack of enthusiasm when it came to a job that involved flying to random places. So far she was receiving a friendly vibe from Joleen that she could grow to enjoy. If the tall blonde took the time to put some real hard thought into it she'd realize that she was living in a Twilight Zone. Joleen, Janeen, and Erica were the three alternate sides of Vernita, O-Ren, and Elle. Then you had Tommy who couldn't be more than the complete and utter opposite of Bill. Then there was sitting, as they were, in a restaurant, having a pleasant conversation and no one was ripping any one's head off, or supplying verbal abuse. It was strange and held a pinch of irony; but as noted before, Bea wasn't paying too much attention to that. She was all too thrilled it was working.

"Arlene's from Australia," Janeen piped up from behind her menu that she was looking over.

"Well," Beatrix corrected gently. "I'm originally from Australia but I've lived in Mexico for awhile." Long white fingers moved to take up the lunch menu, which offered your usual luncheon items.

Joleen looked at Arlene from over her menu with genuine interest, "Holy crap! That's really cool...you've gotta tell all of us what Australia was like. I really want to travel there someday. Mexico," she shrugged, "...I think some parts are nice. Allot of people move to El Paso from Mexico...I've heard mixed reviews."

Erica laughed, "I remember back in college, some friends and I would go to Tijuana….like every other weekend so we could drink under age. Ohhh yeah," she set down her menu, "...we got into some trouble back then." She leaned forward with a grin, eyes dancing, "I kinda miss it."

There was laughter that died down when the waitress come over to take their orders. Once left alone again, the young women went back into chatting. Arlene was being treated already as 'one of the group' and it was obvious all three women really liked her.

So, it was inevitable that the conversation eventually come around back to Tommy. Erica, as well as the other two, told what they knew about his last girlfriend, not in any way to feel Arlene was being compared; more out of vengeful gossip than anything.

"She was such a bitch," Joleen added darkly. "She completely took advantage of him."

"Yeah," Erica agreed, covering her fries in ketchup, "...and the thing that made me most angry was...he didn't even see it." She glanced at Arlene with a smile, "Poor guy can be too sweet for his own good at times."

"Mrm," Joleen raised her brows, sandwich in hand, "I dunno...better too sweet, then too much of an asshole."

"There's an unstable barrier between being sweet and being an asshole," Beatrix commented matter-of-factly. She was beginning to open up around the three girls as if they had been friends for years. Also the fact that they were treating her as one of the group only made it easier to fit in. "All men are assholes. It's their nature." There was nothing like bashing the male species to make the conversation more amiable.

Joleen laughed at Arlene's 'men' comments. OK, obviously the blonde had some baggage.

"Exactly," Janeen agreed, pointing a potato chip at Arlene. "Even Tommy can be an asshole. He wouldn't listen to us about that bitch he was going out with before you. He was being a complete asshole about it," she scowled and munched on her chip.

A small smirk curved at Beatrix's lips as she picked up her tuna sandwich and took a bite. She swallowed and added, "Tommy has yet to be an asshole around me."

Janeen wove a hand at the tall blonde. "You don't need to worry about that. I haven't seen Tommy look at anyone like he's looked at you in years. And it's defiantly not just your good looks."

The tall blonde responded by side-tilting her chin down to her chest and blue eyes came to stare at her plate of half eaten food. "Well, I'm flattered."

"You should be." Janeen gave her a knowing smile before returning to her meal.

Joleen smiled, liking Arlene's philosophies...they already quite a few things in common. She'd have to ask her about it sometime...

Erica was laughing as well, "Yeah...Janeen's right. Tommy can be an asshole every once in awhile...but….it's mostly because he's trying to be too nice...if that makes any sense. I mean, he wouldn't break up with that bitch, because he didn't want to have to mean to her, even though she was awful."

"Yeah," Joleen agreed, "But, I don't think you have anything to worry about Arlene. I've known Tommy quite a while and he isn't the kind of guy to go after women just because of their looks...," she frowned, "...like some men…."

Erica nodded, taking a sip of her soft drink, "Mmmhmm, you're the first blonde gal I've seen him interested in. Not that that really matters...but...Janeen's right…..again..." she snickered, "...I saw the way he looks at you."

Joleen raised a brow, "I want to see."

"He looks like this," Erica put on a rather ridiculous dreamy expression.

"That's terrible," Joleen quipped.

"Well...you'll just have to see for yourself than," Erica retorted grinning.

Janeen and Beatrix were both laughing at Erica's attempted dreamy-Tommy. It looked awful, and Beatrix couldn't help but feel turned off by it, which showed in the arch of her slender brows.

"I do believe you've scared Arlene, Erica," Janeen stated between giggles and placed a well-mannered hand on Arlene's arm.

"Oh, I'm fine," Beatrix reassured with a smile, blue eyes twinkling. "It takes a lot to scare me."

"Really?" Janeen turned curious eyes on Arlene. "You haven't seen anything until you've seen Joleen waking up at sunrise." She flashed her copper-toned friend a wide grin of playfulness. Janeen had known Joleen as long as she had known Tommy and that was a long time. They clicked right away as they both had a tendency to enjoy the more playful and bubbly aspects of life.

"Yeah," Joleen sneered, "I'm pretty goddamn scary in the morning...hair like this..." she gestured the universal 'big hair' hands over her head.

"You left out the cranky like a bitch out of hell part," Erica added under her breath.

Joleen glared at Erica, "Very funny...," she laughed suddenly, "Ok...but true..." She cast an eye at Janeen, who agreed whole heartedly. All three of them had certainly had their little fights in the past. But, like all true friends, they always made up and were back to the usual friendly teasing.

By this time all four of them had finished their lunch and the waitress had cleared away their plates, the popular diner had begun to become less crowded as the lunch crowd slowly filtered out. This resulted in a major drop in volume, which was definitely a relief.

"I wonder if Tommy really wants you back at the store any time soon?" Erica pondered, with a touch of sarcasm in Arlene's direction as they continued to chat. Of course he did...but that didn't mean the three of them couldn't keep her for a bit longer.

Beatrix enjoyed the company of Joleen, Janeen, and Erica as much as they enjoyed her company. She came to realize beneath her bad assed attitude and cold killer instinct, Beatrix really was a 'nice' person. That didn't suffice for the amount of people she had killed, or the people she had hurt by killing those people….but that was in the past. She wasn't bad assed or a killer; she was a nice little angel, as Erica had called her more than once during the day.

After lunch the three women dragged Beatrix off to do some sight seeing. This meant shopping. They stopped into numerous clothing stores were Beatrix bought clothes, surprisingly. She wasn't much of a shopper but realizing she had little to nothing in her closet she had to buy something. Throughout their shopping adventure she stayed away from purchasing her usual tight fitting clothes and went for things that were loose fitting and comfortable.

Janeen and Joleen insisted she buy a halter top that looked pretty damn sexy. Halter tops even for 'Arlene' was pushing it and she strongly declined it. In the end Beatrix came away with an amount of clothing she could be happy with.

The four women came back to the record store around closing time; which Tommy was not pleased about. But Janeen quickly made up for it by saying Arlene bought some lingerie Tommy would be very happy about. In turn Beatrix playfully hit Janeen in the side for that one.

Thus the five decided to go out to dinner at the local diner. The conversation was amiable and Janeen, Joleen, and Erica learned that Tommy and Arlene had indeed become very well acquainted. And then it came close to 11 o'clock; dinner was over, the conversation had died down enough for everyone to get up a leave. Now the group could be seen casually strolling down the streets of El Paso still chatting up a storm.

Tommy had been extremely happy to see Arlene return with the other three women. He had forgotten the sheer power of women in numbers. He wasn't sure how serious Janeen had been about the lingerie comment...but it did make him grin either way. Dinner had been great, and Tommy quickly felt relaxed after the day of working.

Now they were all walking down the sidewalk; well lit by streetlamps. Tommy had his arm around Arlene's shoulders in his typical warm and protective fashion. Joleen had gotten it in her mind that they should all go hang out The Desperado, one of the popular local bars. Tommy wasn't so hot on the idea, he kinda wanted to go home with Arlene; but there was no talking Joleen out of something when she had her mind set to it.

So, now the group of five were slowly making their way downtown to the bar. There were a fair number of other people out; all of them seemingly having a good time as well.

* * *

Bill wasn't sure how long he'd been out; since he'd been clueless as to the time of day when he'd finally collapsed into his bed in a state of stoned angst. But when he finally came to, he very slowly rolled over and picked his heavy head up to glance at the bedside clock under a curtain of unkempt hair. It was past 11pm. From what he could hear, his place was completely silent and still. Of course, he'd driven everybody away...he remembered it all too clearly now.

With that thought, he let his head fall back onto the pillow. He felt more rested and sober than before, but not all that much better. At least, this time around, he hadn't had any emotionally wrecking dreams...or none that he could remember.

After a few minutes of lying there, he willed himself to get up. He then showered and changed, but managed to avoid his reflection in the mirror the entire time. He didn't want to see the mess he'd made of himself. He then wandered around the still and dark house for awhile; a blanket wrapped around him like some listless child.

He managed to come back around full circle, and trudging back to his bedroom he changed his mind and went into his halfway packed up back room. Sitting down at his desk; he turned on the small green glass bankers' lamp and sat there in the small halo of warm light that it gave off. The wood walls and open boxes disappeared into the darkness...no matter; there wasn't much to see anymore anyways.

Sitting there, he glanced down to see a small stack of developed film envelopes. They were the pictures from Paris. He'd tossed them there a few days ago, still unopened.

He stared at the bright yellow and orange envelopes with wary eyes as if they were something to be feared. Eventually, he tentatively reached out a weathered hand and slowly…..still hesitant of their contents, began sorting through them.

He quickly skimmed over the random shots of himself; not caring for those. There were also a good amount of badly shot photographs of his own doing; he skipped over those as well. But, amidst these mediocre photos, there were a handful of ones that were priceless. Shoving the other photo's aside, Bill handled the small stack he'd picked out, going through them again and again, as he leaned in closer to the lamp light.

All of these were of Beatrix, naturally.

There were a couple of both of them as well, taken by various people they'd asked throughout the trip. As Bill went through these, despite the pain it caused in doing so, he couldn't help but start to smile. It was a smile of both happiness and sadness; and a sort of moment that he'd only allow himself when alone. Well, he would have shared it with Beatrix, but now...he shared it alone.

He went through these pictures quite a few times, pausing on each one. There was one in particular that he really liked. Beatrix was standing by the canals, that goddamn huge baguette in her arms...she was wearing that dark flower pattered shirt, hair a complete mess. Her smile there was so genuine...so happy...

The memory of that day was so clear...well, it hadn't even been all that long ago, but still...it felt so fresh. And looking at that picture, Bill could see that she had been truly happy. He could see through a fake smile like glass. And he knew...looking at her there, that she had been genuinely happy; that...in some weird way….he had made her happy. Bill was not a man who generally made people happy...but he had made her happy, at least, for a time...and that meant something...

He let out a little laugh that turned into more of a choke, and he quickly shoved away the stack of pictures. "Oh Kiddo..." he mumbled; a hand over his forehead, elbow on the desk. He was going to say something else; but realized there was no point in trying to talk to the dead...they tended not to talk back. And even if that were the case, he wouldn't have been able to hear her reply over the angry shouts of the hundreds of people he'd killed throughout his lifetime.

He preferred silence in return.

* * *

The Desperado was pretty much what it sounded like; a full out Southwestern style bar. But it tended to attract a younger crowd than the older grisly cowboy type; there were a number of bars in El Paso where they hung out. The décor was what would be expected; there were two floors, pool tables up on the top, cow skulls hanging from the walls, the clamor of TV's, glasses and happy voices. The bar was as much a 'meat market' as any younger crowded bar, and there were people obviously looking to hook up. Likewise, there were a number of groups of friends similar to Tommy and the four women.

The group sat down at one of the bar's many round wood paneled tables, surrounded by high stools. After a few minutes an attractive young waiter came over and took their drink orders. Joleen watched him with a raised brow as he turned away to take the order slip over to the bar.

Erica chuckled, "They do that on purpose...," she spoke to Arlene, "They see a group of mostly women come in...and they sic the hot stud on us...try to get us buy more drinks, and leave bigger tips."

"Hrm," Joleen smiled a thin sly smile, "...tends to work too."

Janeen laughed. "That it does," she mused; her arm bent on the table and her head cupped in an open palm as she wore a classic dreamy-eyed expression.

Beatrix tried to hide her smirk but she wasn't being successful. She didn't particularly like the whole atmosphere of the bar. It was too Southwestern for her taste, and seeing a good portion of men walking around with cowboy hats gave her an unsettling feeling that Budd was around. Thus, realizing why Budd had had his sights set on El Paso. Not that Bill would ever allow him to get up and move away; not unless there was a damn good reason…..but even then Budd would most likely go against Bill's word.

"Arlene…Hey, sweetie," Janeen was waving a hand in front of the blonde's face. Beatrix blinked hard and came back to reality.

"What?" The tall blonde spoke up with a mixed expression across her face.

"You okay? You were staring at those guys over there for the past twenty seconds." Janeen motioned to the bar were a group of what one would refer to as 'the regulars' were dosing down a good portion of Jack. "You don't wanna be staring at those guys," Janeen added with a touch of seriousness. She gave a gentle pat to her shoulder.

Beatrix honestly hadn't meant to stare at anyone. She had gone off in a daze that she hadn't intended to go on. Annoyed with herself, but regretting nothing she put on an overly fake smile; thin and convincing. She turned to Tommy and said, "You never told me how much fun your friends are. I do believe they are going to steal me from you quite often."

Tommy smiled at Arlene. He was a little tired, a little distracted, and he was used to being with his friends in bars; didn't think twice about the whole thing. This wasn't his favorite bar, but he'd been in far worse. He found it easy to kinda zone out in place like this. But, Arlene's words woke him up a little, "Yeah," he chuckled, leaning in a little closer to her, "….that's what I'm afraid of."

"Yup," Erica nodded, having eavesdropped a little, "...she's ours now Tommy.."

"We'll see about that," Tommy replied with a good humored threat.

Just then, their drinks were delivered; which consisted of mostly waters and soft drinks. Joleen had ordered a white Russian, and smiled charmingly at the waiter as he set it down in front of her. She made an 'oh yeah' expression in the direction of the other women as he once again left the table.

"You're so bad," Erica rolled her eyes, taking a sip of her soft drink. "Don't be corrupting poor Arlene here alright...it's only her first day around us. Besides, you've got Tommy to contend with..." she elbowed him playfully.

"That's right," Tommy said confidently, an affectionate look on Arlene. "No corrupting."

"Jeez," Joleen took a sip from her drink, "..ya'll act like I'm a terrible person or something," she stuck her tongue out at Janeen and Erica.

"Your not?" Erica responded with mock innocence,

"Shut up," Joleen laughed, glancing at Arlene, "Just ignore those two Arlene..."

Beatrix let out a light hearted giggle before taking a sip of her water. She was glad that no one, not counting Joleen, had ordered nonalcoholic drinks so she didn't have to come up with some lame assed excuse for not joining in. She sat up after setting her drink back down to the table top. "Ya'll don't need to worry about corrupting me. I've been far beyond corrupted," she rose knowing brows and her chin tilted to her chest in mock seriousness. She was being serious, but she couldn't lead on. A smirk curved over her lips.

"That's good to know, 'cause now we don't need to worry about Joleen doing any more damage," Janeen said with a wide grin as she fiddled with her glass of Sprite. "See, Tommy, you've got nothing to worry about." She playfully bumped his side. "Well, except for her coming back with a new set of shoes everyday…and…clothes…oh! And a new pocket book."

"Mmm..yes..a pocket book," Beatrix mused, although on the inside she was scoffing. She never wore a pocket book in her life. She wasn't going to start any time soon. Her smile came thin lined and she added quietly, "Maybe just a new wallet."

"Oh!" Janeen perked up from taking a long gulp from her straw. She obviously hadn't taken offense to the pocket book thing. "We can get you a wallet with kitty cats on it. I saw this real cute one in the corner store on Almend Street."

Beatrix raised slender brows in the brunette's direction and stated bluntly, "I don't like cats."

"Okay, they had dogs too." Again, Janeen bounced back quickly and took no offense but moved on to the next best thing. It was kinda cute in that annoyingly peppy kinda way, but it was tolerable and Beatrix just grinned.

Tommy wasn't too sure about Arlene's 'beyond corrupted' comment, but then again, he wasn't the kind of guy to nitpick over stuff. She seemed perfectly fine to him, and that's all that really mattered. He sensed that Arlene maybe wasn't quite as much into shopping as the others, and didn't spend too much time worrying about her shopping day in and day out. Tommy was like most men, he shopped for stuff when he needed it...and that was about it.

"No kitty cats, no dogs..." Joleen mused, with a mischievous look in her dark eyes, "...what sort of wallet would Arlene get then hrm?"

"Ohhh..." Erica joined in.

"Bunnies?" Joleen quarried, smiling. Sometimes Joleen liked to subtly poke fun at Janeen; in that friend type of way. "Fuzzy wuzzy little bunnies."

"Nooo...," Erica put a painted nail to her chin, "...unicorns...with rainbows..."

"Ack!" Joleen gagged, taking a sip of her drink.

Tommy was watching all of this with a horrified look on his face. "I just don't think that's Arlene's style..."

"No," both Erica and Joleen said at the same time.

Janeen was wearing a pouty face, as she knew when she was being picked on. She didn't take it to heart, but she could play it up. She began to suck on her straw not sure if she wanted to actually take a drink from it.

Beatrix found the debating over what wallet she should have very amusing. Of course, she'd be caught dead with a unicorn or rainbow on her wallet. She was perfectly content with a plain boring wallet, or perhaps a brown leather wallet with big pink bubbly letters that was stitched with the words; 'Bad Motherfucker'. Of course like hell she'd walk around with that in El Paso. That wallet idea holding a lot of amusement, she couldn't wipe the smirk off her face.

"A brown leather wallet suits me just fine," she stated gently.

"Aww, you are no fun," Janeen said with a brush away of her hand. Beatrix felt some 'friendly' sympathy soak in, and she gave a warm smile in Janeen's direction. "You can help me pick it out."

Janeen brightened up at this and nodded eagerly like a child agreeing to picking out a new toy. "Great! We can go tomorrow after I get off of work."

Beatrix's brows narrowed as she pushed her seat out. "You can try and convince Tommy to let me go while I take a trip to the little girl's room." She stood up. "Excuse me." And she turned on her heel to head to the restroom. Her spirits were mellow and she was enjoying herself immensely in the company of her new friends and possible boyfriend. Everything was going along smoothly, better than smooth, and the blonde was content.

Tommy smiled at Arlene, giving her a silent nod as the tall blonde got up to use the restroom.

"Brown leather wallet," Joleen spoke up, "I knew it," she smiled at Janeen and prodded the sullen brunette playfully, "I'm just messin' around with ya girl."

"Wait," Erica spoke up, "Does Arlene really work for you Tommy?"

Tommy looked a little quizzical. He hadn't really thought about that. He'd put her to work earlier because she looked like she wanted something to do...she'd done a good job...and she didn't have a job yet. "I don't know," he admitted after a moment, "I should talk to her about that."

"Well...yeah...," Joleen gave him a 'duh' expression, "You'd better let her work for you."

"Yes, ma'am," Tommy replied with a little sneer.

They continued to chat as Beatrix went into the restroom. As the tall blonde passed the bar, she didn't fail to catch the attention of a group of men who'd been sitting there. These were the guys she'd accidentally been staring at earlier. For the most part these guys were no good; they'd already had their share of liquor, and were your stereotypical blue collar misogynist types.

Two of the men in particular had zeroed in on Beatrix; the others were too sloshed to notice. One of these guys, a young-ish guy...tall, skinny, wearing a white t-shirt, a brown Stetson hat, worn jeans and a pair of cheap cowboy boots, elbowed the man sitting next to him.

"There she goes Ron," he mumbled, hazel eyes glued to Beatrix as she disappeared around the corner. "Goddamn...that's some kind of ass I haven't seen around here in ages." He took a swig of his Budweiser, "I'd love to hit that alright," he sat up; some drunken twisted idea sparking in his mind, "And..why the hell shouldn't I….eh Ron? Well...hell both of us man...we ain't gunna see a bitch like that come in here again anytime soon." He stood up, yanking his buddy up, "Come on Ron...she comes back out...you turn on the charm….you's the good lookin' one anyways..."

And thus when that tall blonde with the good looking ass came out of the restroom and turned the corner, her path back to her table was rudely cut off. Standing before her was a middle aged man, a few inches taller than her but not by much. He had a fairly handsome appearance; chiseled features that were brushed over with stubble, bright green eyes, mid-shoulder length brown hair with a dusting of white on his side burns. He wore a similar dressing of half the men there.

"Hey there good lookin'," Ron introduced with a wide smile to show off not as aesthetically pleasing teeth. "How about I buy ya's a drink with me and my buddy."

Beatrix stood there, her lips in a taut line and blue eyes flashed with revolution. What the fuck? She couldn't go anywhere without being approached by some jackasses? It was the same in every single state no matter where she went. She had been hoping El Paso was different and she could keep those foul memories closed up for good. Apparently she was opening doors that were better off closed. She tried to keep her sweet-assed attitude. "I'm sorry…sir…but I'm having drinks with someone else." She made a quick side turn but only bumped into Ron's 'buddy'.

"Nah, I think yer having a drink with us," the younger man, who was known as Matt, spoke up as the tall blonde bumped into him. He gave her a grin from under his hat brim, which was far less attractive as his buddy's, his teeth embedded with chew and bar peanuts. "Don't be actin' all hissy now," he noted Beatrix's expression. "No woman I've known can resist ol' Ron here; he's a stud...real gentlemanly like...now...why don't ya just be nice and join us at the bar." He was already standing far too close to the tall blonde for normal conversation, but then he took another step forward. "Don't wanna cause a scene now do we?" His voice dropped with a tone of threat.

Tommy glanced over Janeen's shoulder; spotting Arlene and the two men who were obstructing her path. "Oh shit..." he drawled, sitting up straight.

All three women at the table turned to follow Tommy's eye.

Matt placed a hand on Beatrix's forearm, "Come on now...just nice and easy...Ron n' I will take good care of ya..."

"See, Joleen, I told you it was a bad idea to come here," Janeen scolded in the friendliest manner she could muster. She rose from her seat and the rest followed.

Beatrix casually shook off the hand from her forearm as if she was being given the cooties.

"Come on, sweet cheeks, we don't wanna cause a scene, really we don't," Ron tried to insist as he took another close step to the other side of the tall blonde.

Those blue eyes flashed. "Perhaps you didn't hear me the first time," she spoke slowly through a firm set jaw. "But I'm here with someone else."

"And that means jack shit to us. This is a bar and you sit at the bar and 'ave drinks with fellas like us," Ron interjected with a low growl in the back of his throat. This woman was hot and not just in the 'sexually appealing' sense.

"Fellas like you, huh?" The tall blonde raised arched a brow and stuck her chin up in a regal manner. "You mean shit faced low life asses like yourself?"

Ron could be gentlemanly but he was quick to loose it especially with a few drinks in him. At the blonde's rude comment he raised a hand to strike her, but before he could lay a finger she had his wrist in a firm lock. The flash in those blue eyes hinted a sadistic pleasure in this. Long white fingers tightened on his wrist like a crab claw. "You…really…don't want to mess with me," she said softly and released his wrist.

"Ooooh," Matt reared back in laughter, "Look what we have here Ron!" He didn't seem to be taking the blonde's actions all that seriously, then again, he wasn't the one that had just has his wrist snatched. "She's a real fighter this one," he circled around her, "..I like that. Don't wanna mess with ya huh," he shook his head, "Oh...but we do honey...that's the thing, and Ron an' I don't give a shit if ya came here with somebody or not."

Meanwhile, Tommy and the three women had come on over. Of course, Tommy instantly felt he had to protect Arlene. It didn't matter if she was 'with him' or not, he would have done it for any woman...he was just that kind of guy.

"Hey guys," Tommy spoke up calmly, "Just leave her alone alright? It's not worth starting a fight over."

"Shut the fuck up boyfriend," Matt snapped, "This ass is worth the fight alright." Matt was more than a little drunk, and while he was normally a jerk, he was being even more of one now. He glanced at the tall blonde man standing a few feet behind him, "You're a big son of a bitch, but no matter...Ron an' I can take ya."

"Fucker," Joleen commented under her breath.

Matt had turned back to Beatrix, Ron was still standing close to her. "See...this could have been so easy," he hissed at her, "...but now you've gone and created a scene..."

Suddenly, he lunged out and grabbed Beatrix around the waist, lifting her off the ground. He let out a loud 'yeeehaww' as he did this.

Tommy took a few meaningful steps forward. That was it, he'd seen enough.

But Ron was quick to block Tommy's path. He raised his head to look up at Tommy and put on a big assed grin, entailing that Tommy wasn't getting by any time soon.

Beatrix meanwhile was far from enjoying herself. She wanted to play the damsel in distress, she knew she had too to play it but she couldn't switch. She snapped. It was not only a matter of protecting herself from these drunken assholes but her baby as well. Still being held up in the air, she bent her leg and sent a sharp knee into Matt's gut. The man was caught by surprise and in between a 'yee' went 'ah' and doubled over; releasing the tall blonde.

Now she was released and she could easily walk away, but that was the smart, rational thing to do and Beatrix had 'snapped'. Instead while Matt was in a weakened state of regaining himself, the tall deadly blonde clipped his nose. That was going to leave a mark or a few broken bones.

Ron had glanced over his shoulder to see the change of events. Like hell was he going to stand there and allow his buddy to be beat up by some good looking whore. He didn't much care about Tommy. He turned and jumped the blonde. Beatrix let out a yell of surprise and hit the floor hard. She was completely irate and blue eyes flashed dangerously. She should have seen that coming, but she wasn't a killer anymore, she wasn't supposed to be getting into bar fights. Dammit. As Ron tried to straddle her from behind, the blonde grabbed his wrists and effortlessly flipped him over and off her back. He hit the floor in front of her with a loud thud.

Tommy wasn't exactly sure how to react to all of this. At first, he just wanted to end this peacefully...but now...well, this just wasn't what he had expected.

He, along with three women, stood watching this with unhinged jaws. He had reflexively taken a few steps back when Arlene reacted so violently.

Matt yelled, loudly….and if there wasn't anybody in the bar already watching...they were now. He flailed as he clasped at his bleeding nose. His other hand was clamped over his stomach; his violent body motions sending little sprays of blood in a few directions. "Fucking shit!" He croaked. He wasn't so drunk that that didn't hurt like all hell. "I'm gunna fucking kill you bitch!"

Tommy set his chin; ok...death threats were too much. "Stop it!" He yelled, but was ignored.

Matt, a thick river of blood adorning his face and the front of his once white t-shirt, dove on top of Beatrix….now that Ron had been thrown to the floor. He didn't' care if she was a woman, and a good looking one at that...he was gunna fight her like she was a man.

Beatrix yelled out as the weight was added back on and her head was pulled back. Lids squinted over those blue eyes in a cringe of being uncomfortable. "Yeah, Matt, fuck that bitch up!" Ron was yelling now from the side lines. He had recovered and was now standing on the opposite side of where Tommy and the others were. He sure as hell wasn't jumping in there again. Not unless Matt needed him.

Before Beatrix could have her pretty face impaled into the floor, she thrust her head back…..and the back of her head connected with Matt's forehead. She always liked that trick, but forgot how much it fucking hurt. But that didn't daunt the once infamous Black Mamba. She had twisted out of Matt's grip like a true snake slithering from its pray and now positioned herself on Matt's back.

With a face lacking pure emotion she wrapped an arm around his throat, and using her other arm secularly locked him in a choke hold. And this one she wasn't letting up on.

"Fucking shit! Man," Ron exclaimed and looked at Tommy who was equally flabbergasted. "Get your bitch off of 'em!"

Tommy's stare briefly shifted from the fight to Ron, then back to the fight. He didn't say anything, but nodded in a distracted manner. He'd never, ever seen a woman do what Arlene was doing...well not in real life that is; chicks in movies did stuff like that...but not...in El Paso, Texas. To be honest, he wasn't really sure what to think. He had been all set on throwing a few punches for her….ya know that honorable guy stuff...and getting her out of here. But, she'd completely turned the tables on that idea and he wasn't sure if he wanted to get near her at the moment. The look on her face...it was indescribable. Tommy was somewhat unfamiliar with the true 'look of a killer', but that's what he was seeing if he recognized it or not.

He cleared his throat, taking a few long steps forward, "Arlene," he said softly and slowly, coming up behind her, and kneeling down, "Let go...Arlene...he can't breathe." Well, that was pretty damn obvious...Matt's face had turned bright red, his eyes large and unfocused. "You're going to kill him Arlene," Tommy continued, "...let go..." He wasn't sure where Arlene had gone, but she didn't seem to be fully grounded at the moment.

Beatrix held on a little longer. She had heard Tommy. Well, most of what he had said but it hadn't registered yet. Here she was in a bar and in a fight no less and if she didn't let go soon there would be a dead guy on the floor. She had been in countless bar fights in her life. Some were more prominent than others. She could even recall one where Bill was nearby egging her on, or the time she hit off that military fucker in front of an enthusiastic crowd in Miami.

This wasn't Arlene Machiavelli the sweet angel; this was Beatrix Kiddo the trained killer who was far from sweet. She was hard assed, a bitch, a bad person, and…a mother. She snapped back.

"Fuck," she muttered and let go of Matt as if he had turned into an inferno. She jumped to her feet, unaware Tommy was right behind her. She just stood there in shock, lips partially open. Matt was left gasping on the bar floor with Ron trying to aid him. What had she done? This wasn't what she wanted to be, this was what she had ran away from. She had left that life for a reason and here she was going back to it. Whether she wanted to register it or not, there came the bitter truth that she couldn't fully 'forget' what she was…what she was born to do.

She blinked hard and the full set of raw emotion came back to her. This wasn't right. She took a stumbling step back only to collide into something. That something was Tommy as she made a quick turn around. She stared up into his set of blue eyes with her own set of glossy coated ones. He looked…scared. Scared of her? In this situation she could have done one of two things; one, ask politely if Tommy would walk her home…or….two; wrap her arms around him and bury her face against his chest. She went with number two.

Arlene's next reaction was more of what Tommy had expected, and he wrapped his arms strongly around her frame. Of course, he completely misread why she'd reacted the way she had. In his mind, she was scared of what had just happened...but he couldn't have been further from the truth. Beatrix was about as scared as those two jerks as she was of a hangnail. He had no clue that what she was scared of...was herself.

"Hey...," Tommy whispered to her; holding onto her tightly, "...it's ok...it's over…."

It certainly was. Matt, gasping and bloody let Ron lead him out of the bar under the stares of the numerous customers. The poor asshole looked completely dazed. It was likely he wouldn't even remember what had happened the next morning; which was probably a good thing. Erica, Joleen, and Janeen had all stayed back at a safe distance. They were now exchanging worried glances.

Seeing that the fight was over, most people turned back to their drinks. An angry looking waiter began mopping up the small pools of blood on the rough wooden floor.

"C'mon," Tommy continued to whisper to Arlene, "...let's go outside ok? Get some fresh air..."

Erica went ahead and paid the tab and they all followed Tommy and Arlene outside.

"Maybe its best we call it a night," Joleen offered solemnly; a concerned look falling on Arlene.

These were all 'normal' people, and they were reacting like normal people should...they couldn't grasp what 'Arlene' was really so worked up about.

"Yeah," Janeen agreed. She was just as concerned as the rest of them and a little taken back. "Tommy….Arlene…we'll catch ya guys tomorrow." She then turned and walked away with Erica and Joleen at her side.

Once gone, Beatrix, who was already 'glued' to Tommy, pushed herself against him even more. For the first time in her life she wanted and needed protection. She wanted someone to tell her that this could all work out. That the life she longed for and the normal she needed could be a success. She wanted to know that her baby could be safe.

Her baby. Bill's baby. And that's what it came down too…Bill. She wanted him…she missed him. She felt the tears burning her eyes as she clung to Tommy like a needy child. This wasn't right; being in one man's arms while thinking of another. She was a bad person for doing this, but she could change it. She could still go back…..but she wouldn't. She had made her choice. She didn't regret it, she just missed certain things…or a certain someone she left behind.

She came to the conclusion that thinking about Bill was being selfish. She was never going to see him again and that was that. She had her unborn child to think about and her clean slate. Beatrix had to get herself back on track, or everything was going to go to hell. So, she didn't shed any tears but blinked them back and tilted her head up to Tommy. Her lips parted and she spoke in a soft slightly off center tone, "Did I forget to mention I used to take self defense classes?" A half hearted laugh at herself followed with an added etching of an innocently warm smile across her face.

Tommy smiled down at Arlene, with just a tad of uneasiness. "Remind me not to get you angry," he replied softy; but with his usual sort of harmless humor.

He held her tightly the entire walk back to her apartment. It took them longer this way, but Tommy was more concerned with Arlene than getting anywhere quickly. She seemed so frail under his strong arm, but...that was it, she wasn't frail at all. Yet, she was scared...even Tommy could pick up on that, maybe not so much scared as...emotional. Tommy could understand that, the whole bar thing had been pretty damn upsetting. But, god...she could have killed that guy...easily. Of course, Tommy was completely off base...but one couldn't really blame him for that. He had no idea who Arlene had been, or what Arlene had done, or what sort of man Arlene had been with before him...or that Arlene wasn't really Arlene at all.

When they reached Arlene's apartment, Tommy sweetly led her inside. "I should go," he said, once he'd made sure she was settled in and as comfortable as she could be. He squeezed her hand, "Rest…..take your time ok? Stop by the store whenever you feel ready. We'll talk." He bent and kissed her gently; a comforting kiss with no other intention but one of making her feel better.

With that, he left Arlene by herself. He wanted to stay with her, but...she seemed like she needed to be alone. And Tommy had had just about enough excitement for one day; which was rather funny when compared to the amount of excitement Beatrix was used to on a 'typical' day.


	7. She Deserved It

"Bill? Bill? BILL!"

"Hrm?" Bill focused a bleary eyed look on Vernita's darkly pretty but intense features. Hovering behind her was Elle; all cheekbones and pouty lips. Elle had yet to say a word to Bill since early the day before when she'd stomped out of the house. At the moment, Bill didn't really give a shit.

"You called us?" Vernita prompted, trying to not get too frustrated with her suddenly pathetic and forlorn boss. She might even of felt bad for him, if his misery hadn't been over Beatrix. She'd never seen Bill so unshaven and disheveled.

"Yes," Bill replied quickly.

"Bill? What's with the Derringer?" Vernita changed the subject.

"Hrm? Oh...," he glanced down at the rather large pistol that was sitting on the bar, under his palm. "….had it...around..."

Vernita raised a brow at that pathetic explanation. Of course Bill had it 'around'; he had guns around like Elle had jealousy. She pursed her lips, realizing she wasn't going to get anywhere with Bill at the moment.

"Where's Budd?" Bill inquired; spinning the gun around lazily on the bar, like it was some harmless bottle top.

"Well, not here yet...obviously," Vernita grumbled under her breath; dark yes on the gun. "He called me earlier, said he as coming over."

"Good," Bill replied shortly. "And O-Ren?"

Vernita glared. When the fuck did Bill ever have to ask where people were? She had sworn in the past that he possessed some sort of tracking device sixth sense...but, apparently that had gone out with his common sense and self respect.

"She's on her way here too..." she sighed, glancing at Elle. Elle continued to look at Bill, her expression quite impossible to read.

"That gun's not loaded is it Bill?" Vernita asked after a moment; doing her best to keep any sort of nervousness out of her voice. There was an edginess about Bill, in his whole appearance, that made her even warier than normal.

Bill didn't reply for a few seconds as he continued to look down at the lazily spinning gun. Then, with expert ease, he snatched it off the bar, flipped it around, spun it so the barrel was an inch from Vernita's forehead, cocked the hammer back and pulled the trigger. It took about a second and a half.

There was a resounding hollow click.

"Of course it's not loaded," he said softly; gun still frozen in place.

Vernita had flinched back unconsciously. "JESUS BILL!" Her lip twisted. Ok, that was not amusing...not at all. That crossed some line somewhere...she knew she had to get out of this fucking business, and shit like that only further proved it.

But, apparently Elle found it amusing. She started laughing. And for the first time, in well over a week, a wicked grin spread across Bill's face.

"Not funny Bill!" Vernita hissed, glaring at Elle, "You too Elle...goddamnit...both of you..." she marched over to the couch, "….fucking crazy..." Which was funny coming from Vernita.

Elle sat herself down on the stool next to Bill; still laughing and apparently forgiving him in that moment. Bill's grin had died, but a half hearted smirk still remained in its place.

It didn't take long for O-Ren and Budd to show up. Actually they arrived at the same time and had spent five minutes out in the driveway 'talking'. They spoke about the man, Bill of course. They were both equally concerned over him and wanted to share their views on the situation. They had different opinions on exactly why Bill was as he was considering the person that had caused this, but even so they both had the main concern of a top priority, which was Bill. Budd had hopes that this meeting would bring more good news than bad and perhaps even brighten Bill up; if that were possible.

So, the two strolled in together. Upon entrance O-Ren with her calm and placid façade wandered over to join Vernita on the couch. She looked a tad shaken up and aggravated. But O-Ren wasn't one to question, and instead crossed a leg over the other and folded hands in her lap.

Budd took the rocking chair which was his usual spot. His softer set brown eyes shifted from Bill, who still looked like hell except he was a smirking; a good sign, and then he altered his gaze to the firearm he was holding. That could be considered as good or bad. Either Bill had it out for the hell of having it out, or he was going to use it. If Bill hadn't been acting so goddamn depressed Budd would most likely guess the gun was out for the sake of being out. It was typical Bill, but Bill had not been acting typical lately. Budd's brows furrowed noticeably.

"Alright," his younger sibling began smoothly. "Why'd we all have ta meet like this? I know you don't like sticking the five…" he fumbled. "Four, a'us together that often." Leave it to Budd to fuck up. O-Ren shot him a nasty glare and scowl. They had agreed to try and not bring up that 'fifth' person, as it only seemed to make things worse when it came to being around Bill.

Vernita cringed, "Goddamnit Budd," she muttered under her breath; dark eyes boring into him.

Elle seemed to suddenly be in a very 'happy' mood, which was extremely annoying coming from her. Obviously, she was happy because Beatrix was dead, but it seemed she had also conjured up some imaginary idea that Bill was in fact completely over Beatrix.

That was a completely false assumption. Bill was far from 'over' Beatrix, in fact...he would never actually be fully over Beatrix; no matter what happened...loving somebody so much did that to a person, murdering bastard or not. Elle had no idea exactly what had transpired between Bill and Beatrix and she was easy to shrug it off as some sort of torrid lusty wisp of an affair between the two, nothing more.

Bill on the other hand, was now missing a part of his soul that he would never be able to get back. Anybody who'd had their heart broken knew this feeling, and they also knew that crawling out of that dark pit was not an easy or quickly occurring task. In time, people were able to move on, never quite the same...but most moved on. Yet, Bill was far, far from that point right now and a typical sadistic little stunt and smirk from him was no major breakthrough...even if Elle thought it was.

The willowy blonde sauntered over to the living room where the others were sitting, with a little sway to her hips and an upturned smirk on her lips. She sat in her usual overstuffed chair for one.

Bill remained at the bar for a few more moments, examining the unloaded Derringer like a child's toy. He'd heard Budd's little slip up quite clearly...he'd been sober for nearly twelve hours after all. He had no intention of staying that way all that much longer, but for the moment he was very aware of his surroundings. He pursed his lips, not saying anything.

Finally, he set the gun down on the counter and trudged into the living room. Before he even sat down, he got down to business...he knew if he didn't get to the point he was going to get barraged with stupid personal questions. He didn't need any pity or concern.

"As is normal practice when we lose a member," his voice was emotionless, but it was a well practiced sociopath's shield, "...it is best that member be replaced within the next few weeks." He sat down, by himself on the small two person couch, "Due to...events of this week, there is a good amount of assignments piled up. I'm still working on catching up with these, but I have no doubt that things are going to be pretty hectic until a fifth member can be added." He leaned back, still appearing completely unreadable, "I expect all of you to deal."

Vernita did her best to hide a scowl; her major thought being 'Yeah, because you've dealt so well Bill.' But, she wisely said nothing. She'd already had a gun put to her forehead once today.

"So...who's the new girl gunna be?" Elle piped up happily.

Bill's edgy gaze shifted to her. "I don't know...Miss Driver," he said slowly and deliberately. "I have some prospects, but don't expect anything for at least three weeks. These things take time." 'What things' he was a little unclear on...but that was certainly up for questioning. "In the meantime...we'll manage. I'll take up a few assignments myself if I have to."

Vernita's lip twisted. She pitied the poor asshole's that were the targets of those assignments.

"And who's to say it's going to be a woman?" Bill added after a moment with a gloomy frown.

"Oh, it'll be a woman," Elle snorted, "And a good looking one at that. You're so predicable with certain things Bill."

"Don't push me Elle," he snapped back, "Not right now."

"Ok..." She replied, not looking all that phased.

Budd had been sitting on his rocker rocking quietly for some time. His lips were puckered up, which usually meant he was going through a major thought process. To conclude this process he licked his lips, slouched forward, and bent arms on his thighs; a casual manly posture. "I don't think it's a good idea," he started slowly; brown eyes easing around the room. "Bringing in a fifth member and all so soon. It's only been a week…we can double up on the assi…"

He was abruptly caught off by O-Ren, "I think it's a lovely idea."

Budd shot his eyes on the half breed. He was only against the idea for the sake of Bill and his present 'fragile' state. "I don't think it is," he reaffirmed with a scowl.

"Well, I think it is and," O-Ren narrowed her own set of softer brown eyes on him, sparking. "When have we ever cared what you think, Budd?"

Budd clenched his jaw and a low growl stuck in the back of his throat. His hands now clenched to the sides of the rocker. His mouth moved and twisted as if he wanted to say something else but for once he went against his better judgment and fell back against the chair. "Fine," he muttered. "But I think it should be a guy. There are too many fucking bitches in this organization."

"Budd, Jesus Christ! What did I tell you...," Bill snapped, a furious glare on his brother, "...have been telling you for fucking...twenty years, I fucking hate it when you call my employee's bitches!"

Vernita barely...barely stopped a : "Even if it is true," from coming out of her mouth. Instead, she just raised her eyebrows and continued to stay safely silent.

Bill leaned back, looking tired...which was something of an understatement at the moment, "I realize...it's still early...but...these are things that must be thought about . I don't..." he paused, "...I don't...like the idea of...replacement much myself either. But...," another difficult pause, "...it's necessary."

"Well...what about the whole moving thing?" Vernita asked suddenly.

"That's on temporary hold," Bill replied darkly.

"What?" Elle's eye flashed, "We're not moving now? Well, fucking great, I've already given my notice to my apart-"

"Elle!" Bill cut her off with a hiss, "What did I just say? Temporary hold...where in there do you get 'not moving'?"

"Ok…not moving...for awhile..." she mumbled, her steam gone.

"Yes, well..." Bill changed gears, "There are more important things to deal with before I can get back to that whole thing."

Again, Vernita had to stop herself, this time a : "Yeah, like pulling your head out of your ass.." being her nearly spoken phrase.

Bill waved a hand, "No matter...it will only be delayed a month…..tops..."

"And this new replacement?" Vernita prompted; safer words perhaps.

"I have prospects," Bill replied vaguely, "Of both the male..." he glared at Budd, "..and female variety. But, you are all correct...it is too soon for that...although, it will be happening."

"Well, I'm glad," Vernita crossed her arms, "I think it's a great idea."

Elle mouthed a silent 'ass kisser' in her direction, which coming from Elle was so ridiculous it wasn't even really funny. "Yeah, it's alright...I suppose..." she mumbled after a moment.

Budd didn't give a damn if the move was put on hold. He had his shit ready, and whenever they needed to move he would go; not necessarily willing though. He began a methodic rock in his rocking chair. "It's too soon," he muttered to himself. He was really set on that idea only for Bill's own good rather than his own. He folded his arms over his chest gruffly.

O-Ren cast him a side long glance of disgust. "Get over it Budd," she stated bluntly with an up-tilt of her raven locks and folded arms over her chest in a much more dainty manner. She added in a soft tone, "Besides, even if there were someone here who acknowledged your opinion, and I may add she's not…it's not as if she measured up to anything."

Everyone stared at the half breed agog. "And you're telling me to shut the fuck up," Budd stated as he had leaned forward in the rocking chair. The room was completely silent for a few long...long seconds.

Elle's expression read pure 'oh shit' as she stared agape at O-Ren. Vernita's was rather similar and she placed a hand on the arm of her couch, just in case she had to get up quickly.

Bill had leveled that trademark glare at O-Ren, which...was scary enough when he got enough sleep, ate enough, was sober enough and shaved enough. Now...it was, completely frightening. Bill had always had one hell of a temper, he'd learned to curb it over the years...but under stress and agony, it was a thin line between cool and calm and utterly irate. O-Ren's words had touched a very, very raw nerve.

He snarled in Japanese; nostrils flared. Japanese often sounded guttural and angry even when one wasn't angry. It was an untranslatable swear word, but one could take a general guess. "You have some nerve," Bill hissed in English, completely locked on the half-breed, "She was worth a hundred of you O-Ren...I know it...and deep down you know it..." He stood. Bill was tall-ish, not exceptionally so though...but when he was angry, he might as well have been eight feet tall. He just looked dangerous.

Vernita pressed herself back into her chair. Budd shifted in the rocker.

Bill advanced on O-Ren, "You're a foolish girl O-Ren." Strange, he referred to her as a girl. "You've always been and you always will be...despite...how I see you now, you started out just as low as her," his eyes flashed, "...you're no better...and don't ever fucking question that," he halted in front of her, "...nor her...again...because...I swear, if I hear you say...even the slightest of whispers..," he bent down. Bill often used this close proximity intimidation tactics, "...from you…..along the lines of that bullshit that just came out of your mouth..." he rose a hand, placing it firmly on one of O-Ren's smooth freckled cheeks, "...I'll fucking break you. And don't think I can't or I won't...and I'll enjoy every goddamn fucking second of it." A twisted smirk spread across his face, "And then, O-Ren Ishii...you can meet those parents of yours that you've been missing oh so much...all these years..."

Elle was staring with the utmost sadistic fascination; her jaw slightly unhinged.

Bill knew, among other things, that being reprimanded in front of her fellow assassins was something O-Ren despised. He was hitting on a number of points here.

Taking his hand off O-Ren, he stood up; he spoke to her in Japanese again, which basically translated to. "Get out."

O-Ren like Bill had a temper. A very bad temper but she preferred to keep her calm exterior over any type of overreaction. She sure as hell could overreact and it was pretty fucking scary. She learned from the best. Thus, Bill's intimidation tactics didn't work as well as if he were using them on someone with less of a cold outer shell. The turn in her red painted lips showed what he said penetrated somewhere, but she wouldn't outwardly show it.

Instead she took his demand and rose quickly to her feet without any given hesitation. She wasn't going to run out in tears from being shot down and embarrassed like that. She took it in stride. Those burning brown eyes didn't spare a glance to Bill; the man she thought to be a father figure, and turned on her heel to saunter down the hallway. She opened the front door, but hesitated and called over her shoulder in a fluent Japanese tongue, "I may be a foolish girl, Bill…but at least I am not a foolish…old…man who is…was….in love with a very foolish woman." And with that she slammed the door to her dramatic exit.

Those left sat in a chilly and eerie silence. Budd would have made some type of lame assed remark to that but he didn't. Instead he rubbed at the back of his neck nervously. That hadn't gone down well and he 'almost' felt bad for O-Ren, but not by much.

Bill followed O-Ren out and yelled at the closed door that she had just slammed shut; his words angry, in Japanese and of the extremely nasty sort. Maybe even O-Ren had been somewhat right with those parting words, but Bill couldn't see much past his own anger at the moment.

He stormed back into the living room. Elle stood up with a frown and approached him with an attempt at comforting words, "Bill...I don't-" she began, but he simply pushed her away with an angry shove. Elle didn't take too kindly to that, and she glared at him; completely forgetting about attempting to be nice.

"This meeting is over," Bill growled, heading for the bar, "I have nothing else to say...enough has been said for today as it stands." He went behind the bar, searching through his large stores of bottles.

Vernita stood with a frown on her dark features. She glanced at Elle and Budd, her eyes then flicking to Bill's back as he searched for a clean glass. "Yeah...I'm leaving," she finally mumbled and followed O-Ren's path out of the house in a far more morose fashion.

Budd was still sitting in his rocker in a flabbergasted daze. Perhaps he was trying to figure out what had just transpired or he was debating what to do next. Most likely it was both. He unsteadily rose from his seat. His brown eyes gave a fleeting glance to Elle. His steps brought him over to the bar where Bill was hastily preparing himself a drink. Brows furrowed in obvious concern and lacking of words. "Bill…" he began slowly but his older brother wasn't giving him as much as an acknowledgement. This was expected and he continued, "Just…uh…don't do anything stupid." That wasn't what he wanted to say, but he didn't want to get shot…or worse. He turned away and took a few steps over to the willowy blonde. His façade was forlorn. "Come on, it's better to let him cool down."

Bill ignored his brother's words for the moment longer, loudly setting down a bottle of Jack and a bottle of high priced tequila on the countertop; on either side of the Derringer that he'd left there before. That alone was a rather scary tableau.

"Hrm, yes Budd," Bill spoke up, with dark sarcasm, "I'll be sure to keep that in mind...thank you for your utmost concern."

Elle was scowling at Bill. She had thought, for just a brief moment back there, that he was through with this sort of shit...that he'd, well….gotten over it. But, like with many things, she was wrong. Elle underestimated Bill, she underestimated the whole situation. She had a sudden sparking thought...if she had known before that Beatrix had dug her claws in this deep with Bill, she would have seriously killed the bitch. She'd certainly had a number of opportunities to. It made Elle almost want Beatrix to actually be alive...so she could be the one to kill her and make her suffer to her last breath.

Budd's arm on her shoulder snapped Elle out of her rage. "Yeah...ok...," she mumbled absent mindedly; eye still focused on Bill, who was now filling up a shot glass full of the tequila.

Elle didn't want to see anymore, and she and Budd headed for the doorway.

"Oh, and one last thing..." Bill called from behind them.

They both turned, hoping...just maybe there would be a spark of sense left in him.

He flashed a truly sadistic but blatantly miserable grin, "Cheers," and he knocked back the shot glass.

"Augh," Elle turned away disgusted. This time she grabbed Budd by the arm and nearly dragged him out of the house and out of the presence of Bill.

* * *

Beatrix spent the following day in bed. She hadn't planned it that way. She had had every intention of getting up that morning and going to…apologize…to Tommy for the night before. But when she woke up that morning she threw up, followed by a splitting head ache, and another three hours of sleep. When she awoke she felt considerably worse and only got out of bed to make herself a cup of tea with buttered toast. She brought this over to her bed and got back in. She didn't come back out.

She spent those hours in bed staring off into space. She didn't bother to put the television on or even low key music. She just laid there. She wasn't sure at times what she was thinking about, and half the time what she was thinking about only brought back emotional turmoil.

When the sun was beginning to dip over the horizon she was over come with a burning feeling of loneliness. Perhaps she had felt it all day, but the stomach acid hadn't kicked in until later that afternoon. It took her a good hour to come to the conclusion that she was indeed not lonely, or alone for that matter. Her hands were folded gingerly atop her stomach and heaved up and down with each shallow breath.

She wasn't alone, she had her baby. The baby filled that lonely hole and it also made up for, in a way, the person she was missing and was the reason for the feeling of loneliness to begin with. Bill. The baby was half Bill's, it had half his genes; as frightening a thought as that was. He was still with her in some eerie kind of way. Beatrix wasn't a hundred percent sure how she felt about that. She didn't think much more about it, considering thinking about Bill made her sick and not just in the physical sense.

Finally, she was able to fall into an uneasy slumber and awoke the next morning much more refreshed. She had a long shower, got dressed, and made herself another breakfast of butter toast. By mid-afternoon she was standing outside that now familiar and inviting used record store. She had been standing on the corner of the store for the past ten minutes switching herself from one track to the other.

Confident enough, she held that pretty head of blonde locks up high and sauntered inside. The record store was considerably empty for a Sunday afternoon which she was very thankful for. Blue eyes spotted Tommy by the register immersed in a good portion of paperwork. Putting on a placid demeanor she strolled over, came up to the counter, and stopped. "Hello."

Tommy quickly looked up, "Arlene, oh my god...," he instantly dropped whatever he was working on and took a few long steps around the corner to encircle her in a warm embrace.

"I was going to call you," he murmured, "But...I realized you never gave me your phone number, and...I felt weird dropping by your place."

Over the last day or so, Tommy had been thinking a lot about Arlene...and not all of the time in an infatuated way. He was a little confused about what happened the other night. And, he realized, that while...he felt like he had known Arlene longer than three days...he somehow felt that he didn't' know her as he thought he had. He had to chide himself on his often far too eager way of getting to know people. All of this had happened so fast. It wasn't that he didn't want to still be with her...he just wanted to make sure everything was clear.

He pulled away from the tall blonde, holding her out at arm's length, "Are you ok?" His bright blue eyes searched her face; "You look good..." he smiled. "The three banshees...er, Joleen, Janeen and Erica all called me...asking how you were. We were all worried." He sobered up a little, still looking intently at her, "We should talk...," but he quickly smiled, "…..whenever you feel like you want to of course."

Well, that was a welcome she had not been expecting, but she more than warmly accepted it. The fact that Tommy as well as the three women she had just met were so worried about her was surprisingly good to know. Not that they were worried but that they cared. Tommy especially seemed to care and staring into his bright blue eyes only reassured that.

Beatrix came into the record store knowing that he would want to talk, because she wanted to talk. It just came down to saying the right things even if they were completely out of character for Bea. She licked her pink shaded lips in a nervous gesture but kept her eyes locked on his. "I came here to apologize for the other night," she began slowly and confidently. There came in the out of character part, as Beatrix Kiddo never, ever apologized for anything. That didn't go to say that she didn't do things that were wrong; her whole past profession was immoral to 99 of the world. But in her eyes apologizing was showing weakness. One could explain oneself, but apologizing was uncommon. This was a blood stain on her clean slate that she was unable to wash off.

"I don't know what came over me…I think it could be stress from loosing my other job and picking up a new life here. And I hadn't really settled down with anything. It all piled up and I let it out in a way I shouldn't have." She pursed her lips a moment. "It wasn't my intention to…overreact…like that in front of you, and for that I am sorry."

Tommy listened to Arlene with a gentle look on his face. When she finished, he hugged her again, "Hey," he smiled down at her, "...it's alright...but it's good to hear that from you. I was worried maybe...something was wrong. I've never seen anybody do anything quite like that before." Like nearly kill somebody. "I just...wanted to make sure that everything was ok...with you...and everything." He seemed less concerned about getting an apology and more with a simple reassurance of her well being.

He sat down on the edge of the counter, one of Arlene's hands still clasped between his larger two. "We should also talk..." he dropped his voice a little...more out of habit than anything. There wasn't a customer to be seen. "...about us...about what happened between us...the other night." He let one of his hands let go of hers, and scratched the back of his neck uneasily, "I'm a honest guy Arlene, and I'll be perfectly honest with you...I really like you, I think your great...," he smiled a little slyly, "….even if you almost killed a man." He grew serious again, "But...I've just met you...and all of this is a little overwhelming." He paused, obviously frustrated with his own words, "I guess...what I really want to say is...," his voice dropped a little lower, "...I don't like to fuck around...ya know with women and stuff. I'm a one gal kinda guy...and...and if that's the kind of gal you are...then I want to be with you...but if you're not...just tell me now, and we are just friends...because I don't want either us getting in over our heads or getting hurt or anything...I just don't want that."

Tommy was not all that eloquent with words; he wasn't a smooth talker or a man who'd been with a great deal of women, but he possessed a refreshing "common man's" amount of wisdom when it came to certain things, a solid sense of morality and a clear idea of what he wanted.

He sat back, waiting for Arlene's reply with a crinkled brow.

Beatrix watched him with her remaining placid façade, but the arch in her brow showed the slightest bit of uncertainty. Here she was…again, getting in over her head whether she wanted too or not. Tommy didn't think he was, but later he'd be gasping for air. Again, it wasn't her first intention, but as things had come into play it worked out that way, and she was hoping for the better this time around.

Blue eyes shifted around the record store, noting the only customer present was an elderly man busying himself over a rack of classic 60's records, obviously not giving a damn about anyone else's presence. Those bright blue eyes came back to Tommy and she replied in a hushed earnest tone, "I'm not a slut." She wanted to get that point across straight off. "And I don't sleep around or use nice guys like you. I may have a…temper but I'm as genuine as they come." Another convincing lie and she shifted from one foot to the other a moment. "I like you a lot too." A warm smile curved over her lips.

Her slender hand was still encased in his own, and long white fingers idly stroked against the top of his hand. "You're a real great guy and I think 'we' could work."

Tommy smiled, a genuine smile….with a good amount of relief mixed in. He wasn't sure what he would have done if Arlene hadn't said what she'd just said. He was liking her a little too much to just walk away. "Oh Arlene, I never thought you were a slut," he said softly; squeezing her hand, his smile widening...still sweet.

"I'm so glad you feel that way..." he continued softly, "I really am." He squeezed her hand again, and leaned forward to give her a quick somewhat more polite kiss than he might have had they not been sitting in his store.

So...it was official then. And Tommy couldn't agree more...there was something about the two of them that told him that it could work. He slid off the counter, still beaming at the tall blonde.

"Now," he spoke a little louder, "...how about getting you a job? I need some help around the store...I can't pay you much more than minimum wage...probably only about thirty hours a week. But, it's definitely the coolest job in El Paso," he chuckled a little. "You might have to do some music crash course learning...but I can help you with that I assure you, and plus," he his tone become more personal, "...I'd really like to be able to see you every day." He stuck out his hand as if to make a deal, "What do ya say?"

Beatrix took his hand in a manner one wouldn't expect from a slender blonde; she gave him a firm hand shake. "I'd say you've got yourself a new employee," she stated with a smile so wide it exposed that set of pearly whites. That had been very easy. In time she was going to look into getting a job, but it would have been tricky with her lack of a resume and resources and contacts to her last job. But, then again she never had to look for a job per se. Bill found her and offered her the job. She found Tommy and Tommy offered her the job. She couldn't have planned it more perfectly. She was going to work in the store with Tommy and in a music store no less.

She let her hand fall back to her side, her head canted to the side, blue eyes sparkling. "I'll have you know I am music literate but…" a brief pause was taken. "I'm a little rusty seeing as my Pa bought me up on the oldies more so than the modern age."

Tommy laughed, putting an arm around Arlene's shoulders as he led her into the aisles of records, "No problem, we'll start with…..post disco era adult contemporary and move onto early hip hop and new wave..." It was already obvious Arlene was going to get an earful of music, if she really wanted to or not. And thus, she began her employment as record store saleswoman.


	8. A New Life, A Tragic Death

Dr. Robert Herman, the kind doctor who had first reaffirmed Beatrix's pregnancy, once again quietly slipped into the examination room. The tall blonde sat calmly on the paper covered exam table, clad in one of those lovely barely concealing gowns. She was watching him a little apprehensively.

They'd just done a very basic ultrasound and a few more routine tests. Dr. Herman had been very concise and professional throughout the whole thing, but he knew what this woman was waiting for and he didn't want to make her wait any longer.

He sat down on the black padded stool across from her, removing a pen from the pocket of his white jacket. He adjusted his reading glasses; peering down at the clipboard in his hands, "Well, Miss Machevelli everything still looks good, the baby is developing on schedule and all fingers and toes are accounted for." He looked up; a small smile touching his face, "And...I am happy to inform you, that your baby is going to be healthy little girl."

Beatrix was so overjoyed she almost squealed in delight, but instead she laughed. It was a stifled laugh and one could look at it as a way to cover up a burst of emotion…which it was. She had been counting down to the day she could come back and find out the gender of her baby. Secretly, like many women, she wanted a girl but the idea of being a mother to anything was exhilarating enough that she didn't care. But now that she knew, she was very, very happy.

She leaned her head back against the crinkly paper that protected the pillow under her head and cupped hands to her face. She was so happy, so fucking happy. And in that brief moment of sitting in the doctor's office in a paper gown, Beatrix realized what made her happy. Her baby girl made her really fucking happy. The mere fact that her baby girl wasn't even born yet and she was still utterly in love with her spoke volumes. She had made the right choice. Her little girl couldn't be exposed to her mother's past life and Beatrix was going to shield and protect her.

Her hands slipped down to expose a glossy eyed and very blissful blonde. She smiled at the doctor and mouthed a thank you.

Doctor Herman was about to move onto the mother's health as that was always a topic of discussion during routine pregnancy check ups, when the mother had a different topic in mind.

"Doctor Herman," she began slowly and clearly, locking eyes. "I need to ask you a favor and I trust you can respect my wishes on the premises of doctor/patient confidentiality." She tilted her chin down and blue eyes came half lidded in a real nervous gesture. "I met someone…" Beatrix went into detail about Tommy; where he worked, how sweet and nice he was, how perfect he and his friends were, everything she liked about him and how he made her happy and content.

"He's the father. Not in the he's the one that knocked me up…but…I want him to be."

Dr. Herman watched Arlene with a warm smile on his face. No matter how many times he saw it, it was always moving to see a woman so overjoyed with such news. He himself had three daughters and couldn't have been happier with that result. He replied with a heartfelt, "Your welcome," at her emotional 'thank you' and waited patiently for her to be ready for the next phase of the appointment. Thus, when she started telling him about her rather complicated 'father' situation, his eyebrows rose fractionally with mild surprise. This was not what he had expected...nonetheless, he listened to her in complete professional silence.

When she finished, he sat silent for a moment, removing his glasses and slipping them in his coat pocket, "That's a perfectly understandable situation Miss Machiavelli, and I am happy that you have met somebody like this man..." he paused, he knew exactly what she was eluding to when she said 'but I want him to be', when pertaining to the fathering of her child, "...but….am I correct in assuming you wish me to lie to this man on your behalf? Have him believe he is the father?" Dr. Herman leaned forward, "There are certain ethical issues involved here Miss Machiavelli and as a licensed medical practitioner in the state of Texas I am entitled to follow a certain ethical code."

Beatrix knew compared to how easy everything else was going, this was going to be the hardest thus far. Her slender brows furrowed in a mixture of annoyance and concern. "I don't give a damn about ethical codes, doctor," she commented in a leveled tone and 'leveled' coming from this tall blonde wasn't always signified as good. "I want Tommy to believe he is the father because the real father isn't touching my baby," she used forceful hand gestures to elaborate her point.

"You couldn't begin to understand how important it is to me…and my baby…that this man believes he is the father," she pursed her lips in a moment to collect her words. "I'll be honest with you, doc, I was…before I came here, in a lot of shit and it took a lot for me to get my ass in here two weeks ago. You couldn't possibly imagine what I had to go through. So, all being said and done, moving here, to El Paso, has been the best goddamn thing that's happened to me, along with having a little girl and meeting Tommy."

She leaned forward, hands settling on her thighs, and her pretty blonde head tilted to the side. Her expression was fierce. "My point being, if you don't help me….I'll find someone who can."

Dr. Herman's features thinned out as he listened to the tall blonde. He leaned back when she had finished. "But, you see...Miss Machiavelli, I do give a damn about ethical codes, I can easily lose my license if it comes to light that I have broken them." He let out a long breath; sticking his thumb and forefinger on either side of his nose. He had to think about this...it was a difficult issue. He wasn't intimidated by this woman...he was just too jaded for that, but he had an understanding from where she was coming from...a heartfelt feeling towards her situation, that was far more potent than fear. On the other hand he didn't want this woman seeking out somebody else's services...and besides...he'd grown to be fond of her, in a doctor/patient kind of way.

After a few moments, he dropped his hand and looked at Arlene. "Very well Miss Machiavelli. But, I will have you know that I don't professionally agree with this, and if this were to ever come to legal court...I would be forced to divulge certain information about you." Dr. Herman, despite his mousy middle aged appearance, could play his own little sneaky games. "Call it a mutual agreement of collateral." He pursed his lips, "But, I hope, for both of our sakes...that never happens."

He raised his brows, resolved, defeated and a little upset with himself. "If you agree to this...then...very well, I will...," he frowned, "...lie to this Mr. Tommy Plympton and have him believe he is indeed the father."

Beatrix dropped the threat, not that the doctor seemed all that intimidated. She 'was' sitting there in a fucking paper gown and that looked far from menacing on the tall blonde. She gave a tight nod. "Sounds like you've got yourself a deal."

Her façade softened and she leaned back, the shift in her body position made the paper beneath her crinkle. She hated that sound and began to remember why she never much liked hospitals of any sort, even though she had been to her fair share over the years. Her head tilted to the side, blonde locks falling against her shoulder, and a coy smile graced her features. "I must say Doctor Herman, you are a sly one. But, I assure you that you will never have to worry about this becoming a legal issue." That she was positive about, because anything legal would completely fuck up 'everything'. Her name was illegal; her past job was beyond illegal, and what she had done… Thus, bringing in anything legal was always a bad idea.

Now that that was sorted it was time for a change of subject. "Is there anything else we need to go over?" She questioned lightly and in a warmer temperature. She was a little anxious to leave, knowing now she had a lot of 'news' for Tommy when she came by the store for her afternoon shift.

"Well Miss Machiavelli, I certainly hope you are right," Dr. Herman replied to her former comment, in having nothing to worry about. He still wasn't too happy about this whole situation, but there was no going back at this point. He just hoped that all of this would work towards a happy situation for both mother and child.

At her change of subject, Dr. Herman glanced down at his clipboard, "Ah...not unless you have experienced some changes in health since the last time we talked." When Arlene informed him that nothing out of the norm had happened, he nodded. "Very well then, Miss Machiavelli, you are released," he gave her a small smile. "Now, I want to see you again for a routine check up in about two more weeks, so please make an appointment at the desk when you leave."

He stood, shaking her slim hand, "Again, congratulations Miss Machiavelli...I'm sure your baby girl is going to be very beautiful," he wasn't just saying that either, "And, feel free to bring...the baby's," he raised a brow,"...father in with you from now on...if both of you so wish." With one more warm smile in her direction, Dr. Herman turned and left the room, shutting the door securely behind him.

* * *

"Have a good night," Beatrix said as she handed the plastic bag to her last customer for the day. She couldn't be more thankful that the day was coming to an end. It was already nearing seven o'clock, and ever since she arrived at the store she had been working. She didn't mind working, she loved working, but after the doctor's visit earlier (which she told Tommy was an errand), she was more or less distracted. She did her work, but nowhere near as diligently as she had been. Over the past two weeks she knew everything about music, from classic bands from the sixties to heavy metal in the eighties and beyond. She knew how to stack a shelf, run a cash register, and perform inventory. She was a pro by the end of week one. She was always a quick learner.

But today her work wasn't top-notch. Her mind kept on going over how she was going to tell Tommy. For some fucked up reason Beatrix felt like she was telling Bill not Tommy, and that only made the situation worse. This wasn't bad news and unlike Bill she wasn't as concerned about Tommy's reaction. She could almost predict it.

Locking up the register, blue eyes peered up as Tommy strolled back from flipping the sign on the door from 'Open' to 'Closed'. She offered him a warm inviting smile and stepped out from behind the desk to meet him half way. She greeted him by wrapping her arms around his waist. "I need to tell you something." As usual she was never one to beat around the bush.

The past two weeks had been a little unreal for Tommy. After the rather unorthodox start with Arlene, the two of them had fallen into virtual "normal couples" bliss. They spent a great amount of time together, between working together, going out after work together and often spending the night together. Sometimes they'd go to Arlene's, sometimes his place, some of the time what you would have expected happened, other times they'd just stay up...talk and laugh. Tommy quizzed Arlene nonstop on her music knowledge. They'd play little music memory games...for instance, Tommy would call out a band name: Queen, The Sex Pistols, The Eurothymics, etc...and Arlene would have to call back the lead singer: Freddy Mercury, Johnny Rotten, Annie Lennox..etc. They shared a lot of laughs; take out dinners and sweet moments.

Arlene was an amazingly quick learner, and it was only a few days into her working and Tommy felt comfortable leaving her on her own to run errands or work in the back room. He couldn't have asked to have met a more perfect woman, and he was still a little dazed about the whole thing.

He hadn't really noticed any change in Arlene's work performance throughout the day, but he was quite happy that the day had ended. He was hungry and was itching to get out of the store. When Arlene approached him, he smiled just as warm and openly as her and wrapped his arms around her waist in response.

Tommy tilted his head; his expression turning a little more serious, but he was still smiling...expecting some small little surprise. "Sure honey...what's up?" he drawled.

"Well," she began slowly. Her arms remained locked around him, but she kept a gap between them, her head tilted down and to the side, blonde locks of hair veiling over one side of her face, and blue eyes averted. She licked her lips attentively. Beatrix loved Tommy but not like how she loved Bill. It was different. She loved him in a very caring way, because Tommy was such a caring person. She loved him because he gave her things that she always wanted. It could be seen as selfish, well, everything she was doing could be selfish but it wasn't. She was doing it for her little baby girl.

Besides, Beatrix was convinced it would all work out for the best for everyone. The more you lie to others, the more you believe your own lies.

Blue eyes looked back up at him half lidded. "I'm…" She trailed off in uncertainty and took a moment to gather her words. She knew she was nervous but there was no reason to be. She was only nervous because her mind kept on flashing to Bill. Damn him. This wasn't Bill, it was Tommy and there was nothing to worry about.

A light laugh passed her lips. It was a laugh at herself and how stupid she was being over something that was far from stupid. Her chin tilted down to her chest and her gaze stayed steady on him, her lips curved into a tight smile. "I'm pregnant."

Tommy stared at her for a good thirty seconds in complete silence. Very slowly, his jaw dropped and his arms fell away from her, as he took a few steps back. He stood like that, staring at her, his hands clasped onto his messy but hip blonde hair for a few long moments.

"Oh my god..." was the first thing he said; which was barely audible. His voice was hard to read one way or another.

Slowly, he rose a finger and pointed at himself, as if to silently ask the question 'me?', to which Arlene nodded silently back. To which another "Oh my god..." escaped his mouth; his eyes widening. He turned around slowly, hands still in his hair, obviously taking this news in.

Tommy's mind was racing. It would be quite the task to fully describe what one must be thinking in a moment like this. But, he knew it had to have happened the first night they'd met...it had to have been...they'd been safer since then...and that was over two weeks ago...

"Oh wow...Jesus...ok..." was the next set of words out of his mouth.

Ok...so that made sense. Now...that he had sorted that part out...which was really the easy thing to do...it was on to the rest. A baby...a child...a kid...his...kid….well….half his kid...and Arlene's. He'd never really thought about having a kid before...he liked kids allot, but the whole idea of parenthood was completely new to him. Arlene...the tall beautiful blonde woman he'd only known for a few weeks, yet felt like he'd known for years...she was going to be the mother of his child...and...he...he was going to be...

"I'm going to be a father!" He said out loud; suddenly turning fully around to look at Arlene, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Oh my god! I'm going to be a father!" He looked indescribably happy, "This is...wow...this is great!"

Taking a few long steps back to Arlene, he picked her up, which was fairly easy for him to do, and spun her around, "I'm going to be a father," he kissed her; his eyes shining with emotion. "Oh my god...Arlene, this is so...wow...not expected...but...," his smile grew more serious, but just as happy, "...I couldn't have asked for anything better...God….I love you Arlene, I really do...and I'm so happy...for us...for our baby." He kissed her again; finally letting her down and hugged her.

It was obvious that Tommy was suddenly very emotional over this, as he clung onto the tall blonde.

Beatrix cradled her head on his shoulder with arms wrapped secularly around him in a returning embrace. Deep down she felt awful for making Tommy believe something that wasn't true, but the happiness over his reaction to receiving such a lie out-weighed the lie itself. She knew she'd have nothing to worry about. He was ecstatic, as well he should be. She knew the feeling of complete bliss upon finding out your going to be a parent, well, after the shock settles in. The indescribable feeling of happiness was well worth it.

She idly and affectionately rubbed the side of her cheek against his shoulder. The soft material of his cotton shirt brushing against her flesh gave her a feeling of contentment. Tommy was going to be the perfect father to her little girl. She couldn't have picked a better person. Tommy's reaction only further proved to the tall blonde that maybe things were going to work out and that this was the life that she…deserved.

"Thank you," she sincerely whispered and turned her head to kiss his cheek.

Tommy didn't trust himself to speak for a few moments, and replied by returning a kiss to her cheek as well. They stayed like that for a few minutes and when Tommy finally pulled away, there was a look of sheer happiness and a bliss-like dazed expression on his face. There was no missing the sheen of moisture in his eyes as well.

He smiled, a little nervous laugh following. He wasn't sure what Arlene had thanked him for exactly...getting her pregnant or loving the fact that she was pregnant, but he guessed it was most likely the second. "Your welcome..." he managed through another bout of nervous and elated laughter. He wasn't sure why he was laughing, probably because he wanted to start crying from joy...and laughing was more the regal of the two.

He held Arlene out at arm's length, staring widely at her, "This is big Arlene...I mean...we're parents now...we've got to start thinking about responsibilities and stuff...," Tommy was somewhat stating the obvious here, but he was too happy to notice, "...and...and….we've got to buy baby stuff...and...a name...we've got to pick out names...and oh my god..." he laughed again, "...there's so much to think about...I'm glad we've got some time to prepare for this..." he was mostly rambling because he was so overwhelmed with emotion, and new thoughts...and a whole new world opening up to him.

Beatrix laughed because like Tommy it was the safer thing than any other emotional options. She canted her head up to stare warmly at the 'father' of her child. A smile curled over her lips and prominently stuck there. She placed a hand on his shoulder. "Tommy," she stated in a serious tone but the all out seriousness wasn't as strong with her blissful smile. "Slow down there."

Her hand idly began to rub at his shoulder that it was still settled upon. "We have plenty of time to think about all of that. For now let's take it one step at a time." The last thing she wanted was to overwhelm Tommy or herself. "So, which step would you like to take first?" A slender brow raised in mild curiosity.

Tommy laughed again, "Ok...ok...yeah...your right...," he took a deep breath, calming himself and licked his lips. He squeezed her hand that was resting on his shoulder, as he continued to calm down; obviously thinking. "I don't know...I mean...I guess...we should tell everybody...if you want to of course, " leave it Tommy to bring up the social aspect of it right away, "And...well...you need to find a doctor," he caught her look, "..right….ok...you've already done that...I knew that...," he laughed again, "Alright...yes, one step at a time..." he trailed off; apparently losing this train of thought somewhere along the way.

Suddenly he bent down and placed a hand on Arlene's stomach. He smiled sweetly, "It's just so...amazing to think..." The whole impact of this was still continuing to settle in. After a few moments he stood up, "I think...the first step...should just be enjoying the thought of what we've created...I think that deserves some time." He seemed resolved on this rather philosophical but sweet idea, "Then...we can take another step."

Blue eyes trailed down to Tommy who was contently and with high fascination idealizing over her stomach. A soft and almost sad glow imitated in her demeanor, but it was hidden behind her smile. Her mind was about to switch to other thoughts, but she quickly switched off and commented in an affectionately teasing tone, "Oh, yes, just think that she…he…has half your personality and looks. Then add mine…and we've got a perfect mix."

Her hand came down to settle on top of his, which was still nestled against the fabric of her shirt. She wanted to feel sad for numerous reasons, but she had her fill of sadness the other day and she couldn't keep on going back to it or she wouldn't get anywhere. Besides, Beatrix wasn't the type of person to stay 'sad' for long. She had so much to be happy about. Her smile turned wide and she let out a contented bit of laughter. "Come on daddy, how about we order in tonight and watch a movie. Just me, you, and the baby."

* * *

To say the past two weeks had been an improvement on the prior week and a half would be one big lie. To get to the point, without the already overused dramatic adjectives, it had probably been worse.

Each day was just another brutal reminder to Bill that Beatrix was indeed dead. The more time dragged on, the less he could truthfully keep telling himself that she was going to saunter into his living room at any moment, smirking and saying 'oops sorry about that baby.' He got in the habit of sitting on the couch that faced the hallway to the door and staring at the closed entrance. He swore that if she walked in now, he wouldn't be angry...he wouldn't...he'd do his best to not be angry; he'd be sweet...and as understanding as possible. But, no amount of swearing against his own temper was going to bring her back; he realized that rather quickly and eventually stopped staring at the door.

He continued the substance abuse like a man who was attempting to go through his entire stock of drugs and alcohol before the end of the month...and Bill had quite the amount of stock. He was either drunk or high the majority of the time...in-between bouts of short fitful sleep and brief irritable moments of sobriety. Nikishi stopped packing up the house after he ordered her to stop, but she stuck around...doing what she could...mainly to keep an eye on him. There were a number of times where she had to get rather nasty with him to get him eat something...and they had a couple good fights. Luckily Nikishi was a tough woman, not many would have been able to stand up to Bill in those moments.

Bill lamely tried to keep working and he sent most of the DiVA's off on continuous grueling assignments; mainly so they would be gone from his presence. He didn't leave the house, except to take a few stoned strolls around the garden or sit on the back porch nursing a bottle of alcohol. By the end of the second week, things were getting pretty bad for Bill...and he finally reached his limit one night when, attempting to reach for his stash of weed in his safe, he instead grabbed a bag of coke. He'd had the coke around mainly for his little alchemy experiments. He ended up doing a few lines of it, and realized very quickly why he hated coke, he'd always hated coke. Even back in his yakuza days when everybody did coke, he'd hated it. He hated everything about it; the way it made him feel, having to snort something up his goddamn nose. In a lucid moment of methamphetamine sped up thought, he realized this was too far. He was not a junkie, he was many things...but he was not a junkie. He threw the entire bag of coke away.

That was something of a turning point. The next morning he looked at himself in the mirror; scraggily hair, hallow eyes, nearly full beard, and he was revolted by what he saw. He saw a man who he had always pictured as his retched father. That was it, and with a scowl he snatched his straight razor out of its sink side holder.

Later that day he drove to Beatrix's apartment.

Emerging from his car looking far more himself, he climbed the few short steps to her door. On the door a nasty eviction notice glared with red ink and a rather surprised sounding note from Beatrix's landlord. Bill snatched the notice off the door and crushed it up in his hand.

Then, he repeated the window procedure he'd used to sneak into Beatrix's apartment not all that long ago...of course, that time he'd surprised her with tickets to Paris, now...there was nobody inside to surprise.

Once inside, he set the window neatly back in its place. The apartment smelled a little musty, but besides that it looked just like as if it had been left that very morning. He took a few minutes to stroll around the living room; picking up the nick nacks just like he used to always do when he was teasing her about how goddamn small the place was.

Smirking with amusement, he studied everything. Some of it was very Beatrix, other things...seemed more less like her and more like the person she'd wanted to be; normal things. She had very little pictures out.

Eventually, he wandered down the hallway into her bedroom. That was a little more difficult to take in. He didn't touch the somewhat neatly made bed. He wasn't freaky like that. He opened a few of her dresser drawers, sifting through some of her clothing; smiling when he came across a whole pile of his old t-shirts. He didn't take them back...they weren't his anymore. But, he quickly closed the drawers; her clothing still smelt too much like her, and that was just a bit too much.

He turned and his eyes landed on Beatrix's sword; the one he'd given her. It was propped up neatly in the corner. He strolled over and gently picked it up. A sword may have seemed a trivial thing to other people, but to Bill...this was the most sentimental thing of Beatrix's. This was what meant the most to him, this is what he'd come for. This apartment was not her, not really... but this sword was. He handled the sword lovingly for a moment, but didn't unsheathe it; it wasn't his place to do so.

Then, tucking the sword under his arm, he left the room. And after a few more minutes of slowly meandering around the small apartment, he left...in the same manner he'd come in. He could have easily used the door...but he just didn't want to. Making sure the window was securely back in place, he stood in front of the apartment for a bit; squinting at the cheap paneling on the side and the brass numbers on the door with numb distaste.

Finally, with the sword, Bill got back into his car; he didn't go home...not yet. He drove out to the desert. It didn't take all that long in these parts. It was hot, especially out in the unforgiving sand...but he didn't give a damn. He parked his car on the side of the highway and trudged across the dunes for awhile, Beatrix's sword in his hand.

Reaching some invisible destination, he stopped. He stood there...once again, squinting into the sunlight, hair flying about in the arid wind. And then, he bent down and set the sword on the soft tan sand. He then proceeded to cover it up with a good foot or two of the sand; the wind would bury it further. A few lizards and scorpions came scuttling out of the sand as he did this, but they quickly ran from him.

Once this task was completed, he sat down cross legged next to the small mound of sand. He didn't know why he'd had to do that somewhat silly, dramatic thing...but he just knew he had to do it. Something in him told him it was necessary if he was to crawl out of his self made hell. Maybe Beatrix wouldn't have liked this idea...but Bill loved the desert and this was his agony not hers. He'd deal with it how he wanted.

After sometime, he stood back up; sweat gleaming off his forehead and through his shirt. He didn't say anything; that was for the overly sentimental, not a killer. Looking stoic, but perhaps less tortured, he trudged back to his car and drove back home.


	9. Chapter 9

The backyard was overly decorated with classic oil lamps and large waxed candles, the kind that kept bugs away. There were wooden tables and benches scattered on the patio, the lawn was covered with people, and a large barbeque was stuck amidst the blissful ciaos. Tommy had brought up the idea of celebrating and Beatrix unknowingly agreed to it. Little did she know that when Tommy wanted to celebrate, he celebrated. It seemed like the entire fucking city of El Paso was invited; friends of friends of friends of Tommy.

Janeen, Joleen, and Erica came, of course to celebrate. They called the party a 'baby shower barbeque' but promised Beatrix they'd have a real baby shower at some point.

The tall blonde spent a good portion of the night receiving congratulations from strangers. She put on a warm smile and shook too many hands. Consciously she was beginning to grow distasteful of the event but subconsciously she loved the experience. She didn't see too much of Tommy as he was having fun playing cook over at the grill. There were burgers, hot dogs, veggie burgers, and barbequed chicken. Beatrix was sure by the time the night was over, she'd have to go up a dress size with how fat her ass was going too get. Well, at least her baby girl was enjoying the food.

The night only seemed to have just begun, when Beatrix tucked herself at a bench, alone. She wasn't meaning to be antisocial, but she needed room to breathe. Unfortunately breathing was not an option.

"Hey, Arlene," the voice was recognizable as Janeen's. Soon the tall blonde was joined by Janeen, Joleen, and Erica.

Janeen was grinning wide. Like her fellow girlfriends she was at fist agog about Arlene being pregnant with Tommy's kid, but soon the shock left and they were giddy. "Yeah, Tommy over does it sometimes," Janeen commented, taking in the blonde's appearance. "But, he does make a mean burger."

"Yes, I realized that after finishing my third," Beatrix admitted with a shake of her head.

Janeen laughed. "Eating is good for you seeing as you gotta eat for two now." Her eyes suddenly went wide. "Wow…two…ya know, we're all really happy for you and Tommy. Especially Tommy, I mean no offence, but I always thought he'd be the perfect dad he just had to find the right girl."

Beatrix smiled in Janeen's general direction at the compliment of sorts, but those sparkling blue eyes were looking past her to Tommy; who was amiably chatting away.

Both Erica and Joleen were beaming at Arlene. Just like Janeen, they were ecstatic about the news of Tommy and Arlene being parents. It had all happened a little fast, which was somewhat eyebrow raising...but in the end, it seemed so perfect all of that stuff didn't matter.

Erica nodded, "I was always hoping Tommy would have children...he's such a sweetie, and he loves kids," she placed a hand warmly on Arlene's forearm, "You should have seen him a couple months ago...when my friend Bonnie and her husband came to visit. They have two kids...a little boy and a little girl...I think Tommy spent more time playing with them then he did hanging out with us."

Joleen smiled in agreement, "Tommy's going to be a great dad...I'm really happy for both of you guys." She looked at the other two women, "And just imagine how beautiful this baby is going to be...oh my god...blonde hair and blue eyes all the way."

Meanwhile, Tommy was somewhat overwhelmed with playing barbeque king and at the same time socializing. Of course, he loved this sort of thing...and was enjoying every moment of it. He'd caught Arlene's eye a few times throughout the night and they'd exchanged brief wide smiles. But, there were just so many people there...

"Oh," Erica piped up, "You'd better watch out Arlene, Janeen here has already started shopping for baby stuff...for you...," she gave Janeen a sly smile, "I think Arlene's not the only one here who wants to have a baby..."

Joleen laughed, "Yeah...well...one of us at a time ok..."

Janeen stuck out her lower lip in a playful quiver. She turned to Arlene with a serious expression. "I was just passing by a store and I saw this adorable mother/daughter outfit…not that you are having a girl and all…or maybe a boy. Do you know this early?"

Beatrix shook her head slowly. "No, but I have that gut feeling it's going to be a girl. I read somewhere that with the pattern of morning sickness I've been having you can tell the sex of the baby."

The bubbly brunette settled hands on her thighs and continued in explanation, "Oh, well, anyway, I was passing by this store that had this cute mother/daughter outfit and I had to get it for you. And they had an adorable baby mobile."

Beatrix wasn't too sure on the matching outfits, as her style had its own uniqueness and she wasn't sure how it would look shared. She put on a wide smile of gratitude none the less. "That's very thoughtful of you Janeen."

Janeen wove a dismissive hand. "Nah, I love shopping for people."

The four women continued to chat, which was not exactly a hard task for them to do. They talked mostly of Arlene's pregnancy, Tommy, their jobs...nothing too deep or in depth. This wasn't one of those type of celebrations where most people went beyond discussing the normal sorts of things. Most people were happy to just drink their cheap beer, eat barbeque and chat with friends.

After about twenty minutes, Tommy managed to wander over to the group of four women. He sat down next to Arlene on the picnic bench she was perched on, and put his arm around her shoulders. He felt bad having been missing in action most of the evening. "You gals have been sitting here talking for a suspicious amount of time..." he said with wide grin.

"That's right Tommy," Joleen replied with a coy look, "We're conspiring with your woman here."

"With my woman eh?" he chuckled, squeezing Arlene's shoulders, "Well, leave some of the conspiring for me," he added, eyes bright.

"Oh, of course Tommy," Erica replied, snapping down on a potato chip.

"Aw, no," Janeen suddenly whined. She had been acting so bubbly and enthusiastic the whole evening it was a surprise to see the brunette suddenly loose it. Brows raised in her direction as she hunched over on the table. "Why'd you have to invite him?" Emphasis was put on the 'him' and in Tommy's general direction.

Tommy gave Janeen a quizzical look and Beatrix's brows furrowed in curiosity as well as bewilderment. "Invite whom?"

"Jack," the way Janeen spoke the name didn't give Beatrix a friendly aura.

"Jack was trying to get Janeen to go out with her for the past two years. He evidently gave up last spring but he's been pining ever since," Erica explained to the tall blonde quaintly.

Beatrix's lips formed an 'oh' expression which steadily slipped into a sly smile.

"I don't know why you're still friends with him Tommy," Janeen continued to complain. "He's so full of himself and he has the worst sense of humor."

"Hey now," Tommy's smile faded, "Jack's my best friend...best guy friend at least. He's a good guy really...," he looked at Arlene, wanting to be able to convince her more than anybody, since the other women obviously already had opinions of him that weren't going to be changed anytime soon. "He's a good guy Arlene," he said. Tommy was just one of those people that had a hard time not liking anybody.

"I think he's kinda a dick," Joleen quipped crudely, "Sorry Tommy...but the thing with Janeen was just ridiculous...I mean, it was obvious she didn't like him. And he's not as funny as he thinks he is."

"And how could anybody not like Jack?" Erica added sarcastically.

"Don't listen to them Arlene," Tommy said, giving the other women a rather soft glare, "I've already told Jack all about you Arlene. He's been away for the past few weeks...and man," he chuckled, "….was he surprised to find out what had happened while he was away. He really wants to meet you."

Joleen put on a face but didn't say anything.

"Oh…I'd love…" But Beatrix was abruptly caught off when this supposed 'Jack' came to the table. He was Tommy's age and held a lot of the same physical characteristics. He was of normal height, not overly tall but not short. He had a fine chiseled face with some stubble on his chin and along his side burns in effort to appear cool, clean but still unruly locks of brown hair in a buzz type cut. He held an all out nice and somewhat boyish appearance. He was wearing a pair of loose fitting jeans, a navy blue t-shirt with some type of hype logo on it, a baggy black zip-up hoodie to go over it, and a pair of Nike sneakers. If Beatrix hadn't heard such snide remarks about him previously she would have thought him to be a relatively nice guy. Well, maybe he was.

"Hey Tommy!" Jack said in a soft but enthusiastic tone of voice as he approached the group. He stopped at the edge of the table and gave off a wide smile. He tipped his head to Janeen, who in return brushed him off. He turned away un-phased to let his emerald green eyes grace the table. "Oh, hey," he stuttered slowly as his attention settled on Arlene who Tommy still had an arm around. "You must be Arlene." Jack stared at the tall blonde for a little too long.

Beatrix cleared her throat in a nonchalant manner and replied lightly, "That I am. And you must be Jack…I've heard such…nice things about you."

Jack let out a good natured chuckle. "Nice things? Not from these gals. But, yeah, hey," he shifted his eyes to Tommy and gave him a thin grin. "Man, you can sure pick 'em. She's adorable."

Joleen and Erica remained silent, both looking at Jack with slightly forced smiles. Neither of them had as strong a reaction to him as Janeen, but they weren't exactly jumping up to hug him either. Jack was pretty cute...but sometimes he was just a little too much into himself for either of their tastes.

Tommy chuckled, "Well, Jack...it was more like she picked me," he glanced at Arlene with a warm look, "But...ya know...I couldn't be happier with her choice. Now, come on, sit down," Tommy scooted over on the bench to make room for his friend. Likewise, Erica suddenly decided to join Joleen and Janeen on the opposite bench, "More room for ya Jack..." she added with a smile.

"So...Arlene, Jack and I go back sometime...," Tommy began causally, not caring if the other women cared much for him or not. "He thinks he knows more about music than I do, but," Tommy gave his friend a friendly little buddy punch, "….we all know the truth on that one. But...Jack beats me at hoops every time...so maybe we're even."

"Very important aspects of life," Joleen piped up dryly, not being able to help herself.

Tommy just ignored that and continued on talking to his friend, "Arlene here has learned so much about music in the last two weeks...I've been amazed... I bet she could out trivia even you Jack."

"And maybe even beat him at hoops," Erica added with a nod of her head.

This time Tommy did laugh, "Perhaps."

"Now that I'd like to see..." Joleen agreed, "After what she did in that bar..." she stopped, realizing maybe that was too far. "Uh...yeah..."

Jack became curious. He was leaning forward on the table, arms folded on the top to get a view of everyone. "Did what at the bar?"

"She beat the shit out of some guy," Janeen answered in a slightly snotty tone, but did seem rather impressed by the whole bar thing and wasn't embarrassed to bring it up. Luckily Beatrix wasn't that embarrassed by it either, but she did play a tad shy to the subject.

"It was nothing," she assured gently. "These two guys were trying to fuck with me and I taught them to watch whom they try to fuck with. That's it."

Jack was staring at the tall blonde agog. "Damn, I sure woulda liked to have seen that. A chick beating up some drunk jackass. That had to be cool."

Janeen rolled her eyes to Arlene. "As you can see Jack has a somewhat…dark and unclean sense of what is cool."

"Hey, it's not my fault if I like watching wrestling every now and then, or one a those gore-festive kung fu movies," Jack contradicted her with a sneer.

Thus this did catch the blonde's attention and sparks set off in those blue eyes. "You watch kung fu movies?" She questioned cautiously.

"Hell yeah, I love 'em. Watching those bald dudes beat the shit out of one another with those awesome moves and sword fightin'. Hacking off body parts and watching the blood spurt up like a water fountain. It's real neat."

"Yeah, Jack wants to go off and kill people," Janeen teased in a bitterly sarcastic undertone.

Jack scowled at her and wove a dismissive hand gesture. "No way. I'd never try that stuff out myself. It's way too cliché. Anyone that tries that kung fu stuff is a real ass, it's made for television and should stay there. Besides, I'm not about to shave my head and wear a robe," he chuckled at his obviously not funny joke.

Beatrix found it insulting and turned her eyes away from him in a huff.

"What I say?"

"You were just being your usual idiotic self," Janeen clarified curtly. "Don't take it personally Arlene. He doesn't understand what he's saying half the time anyway."

Jack stuck out a pouty lip in Janeen's direction and crossed his arms over his chest. "So, Tommy," he turned to his friend. "You're gonna be a daddy, huh?" To change the subject he put on dashingly charming smile, which one had to admit was rather charming.

"Uh...yeah," Tommy replied a little absently to his friend's question, his eyes focused on Arlene. He wasn't sure why Arlene had reacted that way. Sure, Jack wasn't all that funny...but he'd just been joking around about stupid TV kung fu stuff...nothing big. Tommy shrugged; letting it go. He wasn't the type of guy to stick on things for too long. "Yup," he turned back to his dark haired friend, "...gunna be a daddy. I always wanted to be...but," he chuckled good naturedly, "...I just didn't know it was going to happen so soon." He gave Arlene another reassuring shoulder squeeze, attempting to kindly put a smile on her currently unsmiling face.

Joleen and Erica had remained silent; Jack's stupid antics about 'cool kung fu moves n' stuff' not really interesting either of them. Joleen was going to add that Jack would look like a complete ass in a robe anyways, but she decided not to voice that. What they both thought was cool was Arlene's moves at the bar...now that was cool...not some macho ass kung fu asshole guy in a movie...and even worse...wrestling! Augh. What Arlene had done was real, and they both were pretty impressed. Like most modern women, they loved the whole 'woman empowerment' movement. Jack could strut all he wanted, but they all knew Arlene was far tougher. Little did they know the full extent of that.

Tommy was fully onto the 'daddy' topic now, "I really don't care if it's a boy or a girl...I love both...I mean, all men love the idea of having a son...I'll admit it, ya know...playing catch with them and everything...but daughters are so adorable...and Arlene would have such a beautiful daughter," he smiled at the blonde with obvious affection.

Beatrix smiled back with the same dose of affection. She casually leaned into Tommy and forgot her past feeling of being morose and became more composed.

"Arlene thinks it's gonna be a girl," Janeen said with a wide grin. It seemed the topic of 'baby' eased the tension that had conspired around the table.

Beatrix took a small note to how quickly the hostility had evaporated and that in itself was amazing to her. She smiled sheepishly and her pretty blonde head tilted down. "It's just one of those gut feelings, but a boy is just as nice."

"Damn, boy or girl it's gonna be fine looking," Jack insisted with a toothy smile. "You guys got any name ideas yet?"

The tall blonde shifted blue eyes to Tommy in brief bafflement and when receiving the same vibe from her companion she gave a half shrug and looked to Jack. "As any mother to be I've picked out my favorites, but we haven't talked about it."

"If it's a boy you should name it Jack, after your good pal," Jack joked beaming as if he was completely serious about the idea.

Janeen laughed. "Yeah, right. That's the last thing they'll name it. I think they should name it Scott, if it's a boy, and Rachel, if it's a girl."

Beatrix had a subtle smirk etched across her angelic features from Jack's previous name proposal. She pursed her lips. "Actually, I was thinking, if it's a girl. We may name her Beatrix." Hell, if she couldn't keep her birth name at least someone could. And after hating the name for so many years as a younger child, she now grew to find her 'real' name unique and it grew on her.

No one seemed to feel the same way, or she got that by the strange raising of eyebrows. "That's…an…interesting choice," Jack slowly commented.

"Beatrix?" Joleen's eyebrows knitted, "I dunno Arlene...that sounds like the kind of name that parents would give their daughter while high or something..."

"I like...," Erica butted in, before Joleen could insult Arlene's 'real' name any further, "...Victoria for a girl...it's very regal...or Amilie...that's pretty..."

Tommy was watching all of this in silence, looking a little overwhelmed. Ever since hearing the news of Arlene's pregnancy he'd felt somewhat overwhelmed...but he was doing better taking one thing at a time. Still, when faced with a barrage of names, he couldn't help but want to crawl in the corner and let them decide for themselves. Yet, he knew he and Arlene saw eye to eye and would come to a decision on their own, without much bickering involved. They didn't bicker...well, they hadn't yet...and he liked that. He didn't like fighting...it was far too exhausting.

"No..no...," Joleen was cutting Erica's name monologue off, "For girls that fine...but boys...you've gotta go back to the basics. Ya know, good old American boy names...John...Eric. Or hey," she turned to Arlene, "always remember the thing about lots of boys names...how you can make them cute and short when they are young and when they grow up they can make them more manly again...ya know...like

Robert...Rob..Bobby...or...William...Billy..Bill...stuff like that. That way it's like..three or four names in one."

Erica rolled her eyes, "Boring..."

"Better than calling your son...Horatio or something...poor kid," Joleen retorted with a smirk.

"No," Beatrix curtly cut in before they could go on with more 'cute and short' names. "We are not naming him William, Billy….or….Bill," the name rolled off her tongue distastefully but strongly.

"I kinda liked Bill," Jack admitted with a shrug of his shoulders.

Beatrix shot him a deafly glare. "We aren't naming it Bill."

"Sheesh, okay," Jack reached over to steal a sip from Joleen's beer bottle, but received a firm slap and retracted his hand quickly.

"I kinda liked Bill too," Janeen said slowly and cautiously to the tall blonde. "What's the matter with that name? Remind you of some guy you may have had fun with and turned out to be real shitty in bed?"

This made the tall blonde laugh lightly and she shook her head slowly. "No, that's my…father's name…and he wouldn't want the kid named that." Thank God she knew it was a girl and she wouldn't have to worry about that type of shit. She still was set on naming her baby Beatrix, or something close too it. Deep down she was laughing that Joleen managed to catch on that her name was indeed given while her mother was high. It sure as hell was no Greek Goddess' name. Blue eyes sparked with a hidden anguish, but it quickly dissipated as long white fingers stroked at Tommy's hand idly. He seemed a tad ill at ease. "Well," she assured with a warm smile. "We have plenty of time to think about names."

Tommy returned the smile, easily losing the unease that had clouded over him before as his hand wrapped around Arlene's, "Yes...thank God...," he turned to the surrounding friends, "...we appreciate the name help guys...but I'm sure we'll figure it out...when we're ready for that."

"Well," Erica folded her hands on the picnic table, "...if you need our help...you know where to find us," she smiled.

"That's right," Joleen nodded, "And you will have at least three instant babysitters whenever you two want to go out and have some time together...I can't speak for Jack on that one of course.." she eyed Tommy's dark haired friend. "But, somehow I don't think Jack's the ideal babysitter."

"Hell no," Erica added, finishing off her beer.

The conversation turned to other things: what Jack had been up to, Joleen's job, Janeen's shopping, the record store...El Paso. Eventually the evening wound down. Everybody had had their share of barbeque, beer and chips. Slowly, people began to say their good byes one by one and went home to sleep off the excess of the night.

The weekend was over, and like most normal working people, they'd had a good time with friends, some drinks, a few good laughs, and tomorrow it was back to the routine of the work week. Such was the way of a typical lifestyle.

At last it was just Tommy and Arlene, the parents to be, in the twilight of the backyard. They happily went inside to be alone.

* * *

The absence of Beatrix Kiddo from Bill's life had now reached one month...eight weeks...four fortnights...well...however you put it, it didn't' make any damn difference...she was still gone, and not coming back; that was for certain at this point.

Bill had had his little moment of borderline sentimental memento two weeks ago, burying her sword in middle of a Mexican desert. It was an attempt to put some closure to the whole thing...but he knew it had only been an attempt, and a partially futile one at that. He also knew that no amount of silly ceremonies or stoic farewells were going to make him forget a woman like Beatrix, but the symbolism of the whole thing had helped, at least a little. He'd stopped the chronic binging in exchange for more subtle and private mourning...that often still involved getting pretty fucked up. But, no longer was he found stumbling around his cluttered living room with a beard and a bottle of Jack.

Within days of this change, Bill had cleaned up his house, his appearance and in turn his life; well at least as clean as murdering bastard could be. When he was alone, at night...then he could allow himself to be a wreck, but now in the open...he was beginning to return to that insufferable bastard that everybody knew and secretly loved. It was not an easy or pleasant road to recovery, but it was the road he was on if he wanted to be or not.

He knew he had to face the music. Beatrix was dead. He hated the thought, but he also hated the thought of himself in ruin for the rest of his life over her. He had to move on...in some form or another. He started to reminisce more on the good times they'd had; which often included not your typical 'good' memory type of situations: arguments...lots of them...being so pissed at her that he seriously wanted to kill her...her being cruel to him….and visa versa. He now thought on those with a smirk and affectionate glint, well along with the really 'good' stuff too of course.

So, along with Bill's slow return to evil, the DiVA's workload began to grow. There were a great deal of assignments and Bill wasted no time in getting them finished. On this particular afternoon Elle and Budd had just returned from a partnered assignment. They'd shown up to do the usual follow up with Bill.

As was typical, they were all sitting around the popular living room bar area. Bill sat across from them, wearing a black button up shirt, hair slicked back...all widows peak and frown looking both menacing and relatively complacent. He listened silently as they both filled him in about the assignment, his ringed hands folded on the marble counter top.

Budd and Elle were seated across from him on either stool. Budd was wearing his typical attire of baggy jeans and a button up 'loud' blue shirt. Over the past two weeks Budd had endured the slow recovery his brother was going through. At times Budd thought he was helping Bill go through a detox. But in a way he was. A detox of self pity and coming to terms with the fact that the woman he loved was dead. It wasn't easy, but successfully and with a great deal of torment on Budd's side, Bill was becoming 'normal'.

As any loving and devoted sibling during that first month he shared in Bill's anguish. As cliché as it sounded, he felt it. He shared in Bill's indescribable distress that Beatrix was dead, but he was more upset that Beatrix went and got herself killed to begin with. During setting up for an assignment (Budd and Elle had paired up two times during the two weeks), the cowboy learned he wasn't the only one upset with Beatrix for keeling over. He was also angry, and he only realized he was angry when Elle so outwardly told him…or demonstrated this to him.

Elle and Budd hadn't gotten closer during this time, but out of all the DiVAS they were the most supportive to Bill's case. Sure, O-Ren helped, but after their fling during the meeting in the middle of the month, O-Ren and Bill hadn't been on close terms and she was becoming more distant with her frequent trips to Tokyo. Something was up, but as usual she remained mute on the topic. And Vernita, she couldn't care less, or that was the vibe Elle and Budd received, not that they cared what she thought.

So, that left the two of them. As different as the two killers were at least they saw eye-to-eye, literally, on the topic of Bill.

Budd shifted in his stool. "Got a bad bump on the head though….still given me a head ache and all. But I shot the ass down and Elle backed me up."

"Hrm, well a few bumps and bruises never stopped you before Budd," Bill replied, reaching for a cup of tea, which was something of a pleasant surprise compared to his choice of beverages as of late. "And Elle...good job with the backup."

"Thank you Bill," Elle replied sweetly, smiling. Like Budd, Elle felt a little like she'd endured part of whatever Bill's little hell had been. And that wasn't because she gave a damn about Beatrix, it was because….as it was painfully obvious, she gave more than a damn about Bill. Elle was pissed that she didn't get to kill Bea...but oh well, she was dead and out of the way, that's all that really mattered.

Having to deal with Bill the past few weeks had been real shitty...to put it mildly. He'd been exceptionally cruel to her...even for him, and she'd had her feelings hurt on more than one occasion. But, secretly she forgave him. He'd had a pretty hard time she supposed, and she was willing to give amends for that; even if she thought what he was so upset about was dumb as hell.

Likewise, she'd been around Budd a lot...and, it wasn't entirely terrible. Oh, it was still bad for sure, but he had been far better to be around than the others. She certainly wasn't about to find him suddenly attractive...or like sleep with him or anything so vile as that. She still thought he was a disgusting piece of shit, but...he was alright to go on assignments with. And...if anything, they had Bill in common. And during the past few weeks, that had been an important topic of concern. They both gained happiness as they watched Bill slowly crawl out of his self dug grave.

Elle pursed her red painted lips, leaning on the counter, "You could consider the assignment a complete success Bill," she drawled, snatching up an almond out of a small bowl of munchies that had been set out on the bar and crunched down on it loudly, "Your brother is more competent than he looks."

"Yes, I do agree with that," Bill replied, smirking in Budd's direction, "While, on the other hand, I look as competent as I am." The ego was beginning to shine again.

Elle snorted, "Yeah...well...that was up for debate two weeks ago…."

Bill raised his brows, making a small 'Mrm,' noise and going back to his tea without a word either way. Of course, Elle was right, but he wasn't going to outwardly admit it.

Budd gave Elle a questionable look before he slid off the stool and made a slow trudge around the bar to his destination, the beverage department. He opened the fridge and leaned forward to do a skim through. "Gotta admit it, Bill," Budd's muffled voice rang out from within the confides of the fridge. He poked his head out with a lopsided grin. "I didn't think you'd ever come back to being an egotistical asshole." He emerged from the fridge with one of those shitty flavored water drinks. Vernita had been into them and thus, awhile back Bill had stocked up on some. Why Budd was drinking one? It was too early for anything else, but then again, when had it been too early for Budd to drink? Well, he just felt like it.

He flashed his brother a dopey smile and came back to his stool with drink in hand. "Ya know, I mean that in the kindest way." Budd felt it was a priority to let Bill realize how much of an asshole he had been the past month. Of course, they weren't going to plain out and criticize him about it. That would be death, but slowly dishing it out worked just as well. Besides, they weren't going to let this one go away not discussed or at least pointed at, because it was too in depth to just forget about all that was done in the past month.

Bill watched his brother with an intense look, remaining silent for a few long moments, "Yes...well," he pushed his tea cup away from him, apparently finished with it, "...when one is as much a megalomaniac as myself, it's tough to simply forget about it."

Elle sneered; megalomaniac, perfect. Leave it to Bill to find the perfect word for himself and then use it so brazenly. She eyed Budd's water, and suddenly decided she wanted one as well. She slid off her stool and went over to refrigerator. "Still," she spoke up reaching into the fridge, "...that's a lame justification..."

"For what?" Bill raised a brow.

Elle emerged with the prissy looking water bottle, "For treating us the way you did," she said a little softly. Ok, so she'd taken the plunge with that.

Bill's intense gaze was now turned onto Elle, "When did I ever say I had to justify myself to anybody?" He said this rather calmly, which was a good sign, a month ago and he would have gone postal after that question.

"Well," Elle stammered, not one to stand up very well to Bill, "I...well...Budd...and I.."

Bill's lip twisted, "What do you want me to do Miss Driver...kiss both of your asses? Give the two of you big ol' fucking gold star stickers? Raises?" He shook his head, "No...I don't think so...and likewise your not going to get any form of an apology from me...no matter if you feel it is required or not." He frowned, "You know I don't apologize," he added in a soft deadly tone.

Elle looked somewhat bashful, as she fiddled with the cap of her water bottle, "Maybe...a …..thank you then, or-"

"You both have my respect, that's more than enough," Bill replied with finality; completely cutting Elle off.

Elle frowned; at times...she highly doubted even that. Bill respected Bill...and Bill had respected Beatrix, Elle was a little unsure about anybody else at the moment. But that wasn't fair at all...and it made Elle angry. With some effort, she forced that down; her eye downcast on the countertop in an attempt to not betray any emotion in Bill's direction, he could so easily pick up on that sort of thing.

"Don't be upset with me Elle," Bill spoke up with a little more compassion, not one to be fooled, "What's happened has happened...we...all of us need to just forget the past...," He glanced at his brother, "...because we can't change it...and can't do a damn thing about it."

Budd caught the glance in his direction. Unlike Elle he was considerably pleased with the simple fact that Bill gave them his respect. He wasn't asking for a thank you or a fucking gold star, but acknowledgement of what they did and since he had it Budd was content. He wasn't sure how long that given respect was going too last, there had been times in earlier years when they were younger that Bill 'gave him respect' and it never lasted.

A momentary silence was broken by a belch, which Budd held back. No one ever said he had the best mannerisms in the world. He received a scowl from Bill and a side glare from the one-eyed-bitch. He remained oblivious and took a slug of his flavored water; which tasted pretty damn good considering it was cherry flavored.

"Now, see, I can't think that forgettin' the past is always the best way too go," the cowboy leveled a steady gaze on Bill. "There's some shit you're gunna wanna remember." Unlike Bill, Budd never liked the idea of completely forgetting things. There was always a justification to what one did, and no matter how much that person forgot that something it wouldn't change the impact it left behind.

Bill on the other hand was easy to dismiss things: like the hundreds of people he'd killed, the countless others who were affected by those deaths, all those he'd been intolerably cruel to, women he'd completely fucked over, property he'd destroyed and the millions of dollars that it had cost...but they weren't his dollars, nor in the end, his problems. He destroyed and others were left to deal with the mess left behind. That was Bill, the sociopath. Beatrix had been the only person who had come close to completely tipping that scale, but in the end...Bill was still Bill. Perhaps, someday...something would come along that would once again work to change that, but at this moment, he was completely unaware of what that something might be.

"Of course Budd," Bill replied to his brother, in a rather patronizing tone...as if he was speaking to a child or somebody of...slower mental capabilities, "I wasn't being entirely literal."

Elle scowled, it sure sounded like he had been to her. She wasn't so bothered at Bill's treatment of Budd...well, simply because she treated Budd pretty bad too; it was just so easy to do with a shithead like him.

Bill leaned forward on the barstool, "I'm not in denial Budd, if that's what you think," he plucked up a large almond from the nearby bowl and idly studied it, "How...I was...recently…….was not the wisest time of my life."

Elle barely stopped a 'not shit' from blurting out of her pursed lips.

"But," Bill pointed at Budd, suddenly intense, "...that does not mean I owe any sort of explanation for what I did. Nor does it suddenly qualify me to become a hazy eyed sentimentalist of the past. The past is past Budd..." he looked like he was going to keep going on some typical Bill-esque monologue, but instead changed his mind and crunched down menacingly on the almond as he tossed into his mouth. He flashed Budd a wide 'holier than thou' grin and leaned back; looking haughtier than ever.

"Well," Elle threw her hands up, "...there ya have it. Personally, I don't give a shit either way." Typical Elle.

Budd looked away from Bill to cast Elle a glance that simply read; 'of course you give a shit'. He knew she caught it. He soon after decided to grab a handful of almonds, as everyone seemed to be munching down on them. He stuffed a wad in his mouth and chewed. There was nothing great about them; the almonds, tasted like a typical nut.

As long as he was aware that Bill wasn't in denial he felt a little better. Although that didn't mean that Bill was lying. Bill lied, but he was no pathological liar. He idly bought a hand up and using the stub of his forefinger finger nail he began picking out the remains of masticated almond particles from in between his teeth.

Once through he looked up and said, "Well, Bill, all I got is that I'm glad you're comin' back to your…typical…self."

Bill shot his brother a banal look, as Budd oh so typically picked food out of his teeth. Somehow...somewhere...Budd had never quite embraced the more couth demeanor his older brother. One could normally blame this on parents often innocent mixed treating of older vs. younger siblings...but in the case of Bill and Budd...that just didn't exactly apply.

Bill pursed his lips, moving on from that thought; that was old news with Budd. "Well," he said softly, "...I suppose that is the case then." And that was that, Bill had put the end to that conversation. He stood up, already moving onto a different task. He invited Budd and Elle to hang out while he worked if they so desired, but neither of them found that all that appealing; which Bill certainly found understandable. At least this time they left on far better terms than the previous number of times.

Bill wasn't just lying to get rid of Budd and Elle; he did have a number of things to do...one of them included attempting to choose a new member for the Deadly Viper Association. Bill despised the thought of "replacing" Beatrix, but it was becoming fairly clear that they needed somebody else to take over the workload that should have belonged to the Black Mamba. He could only work the others so much without some major protest. A new member was needed...and fairly quickly.

Doing his best to put aside any sort of "replacement" thoughts, Bill retired to his back room and set out to widdle down the rather lengthy list of candidates he had made a few days prior. A large stack of folders sat on his desk, and he once again went through them with a professional and highly critical eye.

Throughout his years in the contract killing business, which was...much to Bill's horror, going on almost forty years, he had established a great amount of contacts. It wasn't until he started the Deadly Vipers that he really got organized with his information, but by then he already had a huge list of resources to start out with. Now, that list had nearly quadrupled.

As was known, Bill was a nitpicker of human nature and he was brutal with this in his assessments of those in his files...just as he often was in reality. Using his own attached notes, he was able to cut the amount of candidates in half right away, on the grounds that they were either, "unacceptable", "unqualified", "undesirable" or just simply "fucking assholes" Then, he cut the remaining number in half because they were no longer living...he tossed those aside with a dark smirk.

Still, he was left with a good sized stack; which he was now getting to at this point. This required further scrutiny. He had to really ask himself what type of killer he wanted to once again fill out the squad. He realized, with a pang of regret, that he didn't really want somebody too young and inexperienced. He'd been down that road a number of times...and he'd enjoyed it thoroughly; molding and shaping somebody...teaching them...being their mentor, their teacher. But, he couldn't do that...not right now. The loss of his favorite pupil was still too daunting. No, he wanted somebody experienced...not so fresh faced and wide eyed...a little jaded, but not overly so. He wanted somebody he could just plug in and be fairly confident that they would pick up on things quickly. They needn't be all around perfection, that was a rarity anyways. But, nonetheless, they had to be damn good...and he was a goddamn hard man to impress.

Nevertheless, with these criteria in mind, he was able to shorten the pile of folders once again. Now, only a stack of eight remained...two men...six women. Bill had to be honest with himself, he preferred women...not just because he preferred them all around, but he believed they made better killers. Paco had taught that to him...many, many years ago...and Bill still held to it. Women possessed a viciousness rarely paralleled in men.

Men were easier made killers perhaps, but women had more style, more grace...and in the end, often because of their sway over men, more power. Women had always played a large part in Bill's life: they'd coddled him, drove him crazy, made him extremely happy, made him extremely unhappy, inspired him, made him lots of money, and as it turns out...nearly ruined him. Despite his sometimes charming, smooth talking, old school, misogynistic ways...he had a very deep respect for women.

Realizing with a smirk that he'd drifted off thinking about women, Bill tossed aside the two folders for the male candidates. Alright, so he was a biased misogynist, so be it. That left six, and he took his time looking over every folder, every detail; age, previous employment, weapons of choice, criminal history, availability of employment, desired payment and so on and so forth. He had photos of some, but not all...and there was nothing disappointing in those that were there.

It was going on over two hours of carefully going over these six folders. It was never said that Bill didn't put a lot of thought into things. At this point though, his back was starting to ache from sitting hunched over his desk. He rubbed the bridge of his nose in an attempt to dissuade the headache that was slowly taking over...for once; it wasn't from a hangover either.

Finally, deciding he'd done enough on this subject for today...he set aside three of the six; once again brutally splitting it in half. Neatly stacking the three remaining folders on his desk, he slowly stood up and turned to another set of far less interesting paperwork.

By tomorrow he'd make up his mind on the new DiVA.


	10. Aiyana

Two months ago she had been as flat as a board, and now two weeks later she had blown up like a fucking balloon. Beatrix was standing in front of a full length mirror that was concealed behind the closed satin curtains of; yes, a maternity store. She wasn't there upon her own free will. Earlier in the week it came to the attention of Tommy's girl friends that Arlene constantly borrowing Tommy's clothes wasn't an option any longer. Thus, was her reason for being in such a store at this moment.

The tall blonde was far from chipper. So far she could live with the pants. They were denim, similar to jeans but baggier and they had an elastic waistband which she had to admit was quite comfortable. But the shirt, no fucking way. When Beatrix had informed the sales woman she liked peasant type blouses, as that type of blouse didn't run in the skintight category, she wasn't expecting this. It was a much more modern peasant blouse, certainly no one in Japan or China would make something so... ..she wasn't even sure what word too use. The peasant blouse was a pale pink color; it was tight around the torso area with a low cut wide angel neck, frilly sleeves, and the texture was soft cotton. The only problem was the stomach region of the blouse; it was very frilly and almost resembled a dress that came down just past her waist line.

"I look like a fucking pink stuffed…bear…" she muttered to herself, but at her muttered words she blinked hard and made a noise of irritable frustration and hidden angst.

"Oh, come on Arlene, it can't look that bad," Erica said from outside. Janeen, Erica, and Joleen were all gathered outside the dressing room. They had been helping Arlene find the perfect clothes that made the appearance of pregnancy cute or at least tolerable when it came to clothes. Obviously all three agreed that wearing Tommy's clothing was unacceptable.

"Yes, it does," the blonde argued back from behind the curtain.

"If you don't come out where going to come in and get you…and you don't want us to do that…again," Janeen threatened, as a suppressed giggle passed between the women.

"Fine." Beatrix gave up and pulled back the curtain roughly to step outside. Her façade was discontented. "I don't wear…pink," she spat softly. "The only pink thing I own is a pair of pink sandals…and those are neon."

All three young women, Joleen, Janeen and Erica agreed they had never seen a pregnant woman blow up as fast as Arlene had...it was amazing really, but certainly it happened now and again. All women were different, some got larger quicker...some didn't get all that large at all. Erica premised that if Arlene continued to grow at this rate she was going to have an eight foot medicine ball in her belly by the time she was nine months pregnant; a prospect none of them, especially Arlene found very desirable.

Now, upon the decision that Arlene had to find some sort of clothing that she could wear, that was not Tommy's and perhaps even somewhat cute, the three of them stood there staring at her...pink frilly blouse and all.

"No, pink is not your color," Joleen agreed with raised brows, she pursed her lips, "I mean, to be honest Arlene...it looks like your wearing a dress made for a two year old on y-"

"Well, I think it's nice," Erica cut Joleen off; giving Arlene one of her warm smiles. "It's far cuter than most of the maternity tops I've seen. I mean, most of them look like moo moos."

"That IS a moo moo, with ruffles." Joleen replied, obviously not a fan of the shirt.

Erica folded her arms; deciding to ignore Joleen, she walked slowly around Arlene, inspecting the whole thing. She pulled on the ruffled sleeves. "Cute," she said a peppy tone.

Joleen stuck her tongue out. "Seriously, Arlene..."

Erica shot Joleen a glare, "Joleen, what the hell is she supposed to wear for eight months then? Men's t-shirts? C'mon...this is cute. Maybe...if you tried blue or turquoise..."

Joleen plopped down on one of the chairs by the dressing room, puffing her cheeks out in defeat.

Beatrix agreed with Joleen. She despised the idea of maternity shopping to begin with, and now with the horrible selection of clothing she was despising it even more. She was perfectly content wearing Tommy's t-shirts for the next few months. It wasn't the cutest outfit in the world but she wasn't looking to be cute. She was cute five, six years ago, not five years later. She had far from out grown her cute and bubbly phase. Sure, she had her moments of that lingered innocence, but even with what innocence she had left, she played it up far from what it really was.

"Look what I found," Janeen seemed to pop out of nowhere. Beatrix obliviously realized that Janeen hadn't been there when she had come out as the other two were inspecting her outfit. Her slender brows narrowed threateningly on the array of clothes Janeen had brought over.

"No," the blunt words of the tall blonde were spoken as Janeen's lips were parted to speak.

Janeen pursed her lips and put on a hurt expression. "But I found that blouse in a baby powder blue. I think it will match your eyes better than the pink. But…" her brown eyes did a quick check over on the disgruntled pregnant blonde. "I like the pink…maybe if they had it in a darker col…"

"No pink," Beatrix reinstated forcefully.

"Okay….Good thing I found that other blouse in a darker blue." Janeen moved past Arlene and into the dressing room, where she hung up the daunting amount of remaining clothing.

Joleen rolled her eyes, "Goddamnit Janeen you are the most persistent person I've ever met," her lips curved into a smirk, "well...next to Jack that is."

That got a good laugh from Erica, who recovered after a moment, "Yeah...I mean...Janeen, I just don't think Arlene likes the top, no matter what color it's in." She folded her arms, "Even if I think it's cute."

Joleen crossed her legs, leaning against the arm of the chair, "Arlene...once you get that baby out, we'll go clothes shopping...you and I, and I promise, I'll find you some really hot stuff."

Now it was Erica's turn to roll her eyes, "You mean slutty."

"Nooooo...not slutty," Joleen said in a acidic tone, "Sexy...and not resembling something a very overweight five year old wannabe princess would wear...no offence Arlene."

Erica pressed her lips tightly together, "Yes, well...as you can see Joleen, she's not exactly ready for that yet, so we've got to do our best to find some nice stuff for now."

"Alright...ok...," Joleen threw her hands up, realizing that there was nothing to be done.

Erica turned back to Arlene with a smile, "Well, you've still got the new stuff Janeen just brought over to try on..."

Joleen and Arlene both groaned.

* * *

Bill sat staring at the three folders on his desk. After narrowing the large stack that had sat there previously last night, these were his finalists. He had decided to choose one, and keep the other two as back up; just in case the initial interview with his first choice bombed. There was no telling when it came to contract killers...and just like any "job", people's personalities often clashed to the point of being unbearable. Bill knew he couldn't handle that, not right now.

He once again began leafing through the folders. His first candidate was a Japanese woman by the name of Yuki Karasowa. She was 28 years old and a former yakuza member. She'd left the yakuza life to go into more freelance work. She was the type who tended to work alone than in large groups; and that bothered Bill somewhat. But, she was incredibly skilled in nearly all areas of hand to hand combat and weapons. In fact, judging by her abilities, she was technically perfect. But, there were notes on her personality, in fact Bill had met her once; back when he was in Tokyo with O-Ren. She'd been aloof, cold as hell, unruly and somewhat of a bitch; not that Bill did not employ bitches...but her 'holier than thou' attitude irked him. She'd brushed him off as some 70's cowboy relic and had talked very little to him. She wouldn't even have made it this far if she wasn't so damn good at what she did. Bill was almost willing to look over her personality just to be able to see what she could do. But...he already had one O-Ren, and while he adored her, he wasn't sure if he could deal with two O-Rens.

He set Yuki's folder aside, and went through the second one. This folder was on a woman named Haimi Kai Xuxa, she was half Hawaiian, a quarter Portuguese and a quarter Brazilian. She was 25. Like Yuki she was extremely experienced, although Haimi's martial arts skills were more focused on Brazilian stick fighting techniques and grappling. She seemed a little weak in the armed weapons category; but there were notes of her skill that did not disappoint. She was a freelance contract killer and had been once since she was 17. Unlike Yuki, she was a fireball; Bill had met her a couple times. She used to do jobs for an old client of his. She was always very friendly with him, but still remained professional. She liked to talk...almost too much, if Bill remembered correctly. She was highly personable, but extremely vicious and tales of her cruel killings were renown throughout the grapevines of assassination. Bill liked her, and she would be able to work with the others very well. But, she was also very self centered and was known to be the power hungry type. She liked the spotlight on her at all times. Bill wasn't sure he wanted to deal with a drama queen either; he already had Elle.

Without fully dismissing Haimi, Bill turned to the last folder. Unlike the other two, this folder was on a woman he'd actually never met, by the name of Aiyana Espona. She was at least partially Spanish, that much was obvious. She was former co-ops, and like the others, had been an international freelance contract killer for sometime. She was 27 and extremely experienced in all forms of assassination. What really caught Bill's interest were the notes he had on her marksmanship skills. The woman was a sure shot; it was said she "could hit anything" with a bullet. Bill had to admit that was pretty cool. Apparently her skills with firearms were unparalleled by those who'd witnessed it. He didn't have many notes on her swordsmanship, but he had to assume that was not her strongest suit. She was an expert hand to hand combat fighter; which was something of prerequisite just to have gotten this far. Again, he didn't have much on her personality, but she was noted as professional and highly capable. There was nothing bad about her at all in that area...at least not any that had been noted. There was also something nice about hiring somebody he'd never met, a fresh face; but one that was certainly capable of killing right off the bat. She was a little riskier choice than the other two, but he didn't have the bias of already having judged her in person yet. Plus, she was Spanish, or at least partially so, and that appealed to Bill's sensibilities as well.

He sat there for sometime, considering his decision and then with typical decisiveness he made up his mind with crisp finality. It was easy to find a contact number for Miss Espona and he fed the numbers into his cell phone.

Assassins often used code names and this sort of ambiguous type of conversation was expected. So when Bill called as "The Snake Charmer" it would be assumed that Aiyana would have a pretty good idea of who he was. In a cordial and professional manner he briefly spoke to her; the main words being, 'interview', 'The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad', and 'this afternoon or not at all.'

* * *

That afternoon rolled around fairly quickly; with the sun high in the sky, making those mid-afternoon's in Mexico unbearably sweltering if one lingered outside for too long. Thank goodness for air conditioning in automobiles, and one such automobile rolled into the driveway of that Mexican Hacienda. The vehicle came to an abrupt halt and out stepped from the silver Lexus GS, a young woman. This young woman was Aiyana Espona. She stood at a height of 5'7''; with a slender but obviously muscular frame. Soft curves were in the appropriate places with well sized proportions for all body parts. Locks of dark russet colored hair came down mid-torso area in a wavy layered cascade. A fine trimmed face framed that pale ivory complexion that held firm structured features with high cheek bones of a rosy tint. She was clad in a dress suit. The button up top was a coffee blended brown with meshed in white strips, the pants matched, and a pair of high heeled black boots topped it off. All in all this was a very beautiful woman.

High arched eyebrows domed over hazel hues that peered over to the cobblestone walkway. When Aiyana had first received the rather brief and secretive phone call earlier that day she was enthralled. Anyone who was anyone that worked in the dirty business of killing knew about the Snake Charmer and his Vipers. The group was infamous. As infamous as they were, it was a known fact that the Snake Charmer hadn't been taking on any new employees for the past five years, thus; was the reason no one paid much attention to the squad. Well, they paid attention, they just didn't dive into it. So, it was a surprise to find that he was looking for a new employee.

This eager freelance killer jumped at the opportunity to work in such an association. She was sick of co ops and wanted something more challenging, but she had been unsuccessful until recently.

Heels clicked against the stone and up the short set of steps before a finger outstretched and pressed the door bell.

The door was answered fairly briskly by Nikishi. The small but deadly middle aged Japanese woman opened the door and offered Aiyana a broad friendly smile. "Miss Espona, you are here just on time," she spoke softly, "...very good," Nikshi sometimes offered her own little bits of compliment; and when it came to Bill, being on time was a definite bonus. "Please come in," Nikishi gestured for Aiyana to come inside and softly shut the door behind her.

Bill's house was back in tip top shape. It was spotless clean, stylish, Asian inspired, and Southwestern all at once. All nicely lit with timeless soft track lighting. Seeing it now, one would never know that only a few weeks ago it had been a pit of despair.

Nikishi led Aiyana through the front hall down towards the main living room area, her hands politely folded in front of her. "Bill, Miss Espona is here," she announced as they entered the living room.

Bill was sitting casually on one of the living room's many couches. He hadn't gotten too dressed up for this whole thing; after all...he was the interviewer, not the one being interviewed. But, he was wearing those snazzy silver tipped cowboy boots that seemed to make an appearance every now and then, black slacks, a typical "Bill" button up shirt not quite buttoned brimming in some Southwest looking print, hair pulled back, and the typical smattering of silver and turquoise jewelry that was again typical "Bill." He'd been idly leafing through some paperwork when Nikishi and Aiyana had entered the room.

He quickly looked up from what he was doing and stood. "Ah, Miss Espona," he spoke in that characteristic smooth tone, "Very nice to finally meet you," he approached, shaking her hand and flashing a broad smile. He was now in his usual charming business demeanor.

He took a quick survey of this Aiyana Espona with a flick of those hard brown eyes. 'Goddamn attractive' was the first thing that came to mind. Tall, but not overly so, great figure...beautiful hair and skin, oh yes...she was extremely stunning, but there was a deadly quality about her that he recognized right away. Bill knew killers...and this woman was a killer; seeing her now, he could easily sense that. She was experienced and she also appeared very professional. First impressions could mean a lot, and so far...he was quite happy with his choice.

"Please, sit down," he offered, gesturing to one of the comfy looking couches. He sat down across from her, gathering up his paperwork in an efficient manner, "Now," he leaned back; fixing his new recruit with a stern but still friendly enough look,"...you'll excuse me Miss Espona if I skip the usual pleasantries and get down to business." He would have liked to have chatted a bit first, but first thing first...he needed to fill a position in his organization. "I have gone over your file," he continued, ", and obviously, I see what I like. But, I'd like you to tell me what makes you the right woman for the Deadly Vipers." He leaned forward, his look intensifying a little, "You see Miss Espona, this organization recently lost one of its best assassins...and I will be honest with you, I want somebody not just good...but the best that I can get. This organization hires the best, pays the best and thus...I expect no less than the best." He leaned back again; a hand draping over the arm of couch, and offered her another smile, "So...convince me."

He of course remained completely emotionless throughout this, he was on businessman autopilot. He knew how to interview like he knew how to interrogate. He asked a lot and he expected a lot in return; if not...than he would easily move on to another candidate.

He raised his brows in expectation.

Aiyana was seated quite comfortably on the opposite couch. Her demeanor was collected and professional. Hands folded on her lap and her posture upright with head high, locks of hair dripping over her shoulders. She pursed her plump red lips, reviewing the directed question in her mind for a mere two seconds before voicing it out loud in that confident but soft shaded voice, "First, allow me to give my condolences on your recent loss." Of course, Aiyana had known about the death. She didn't know that much, rumors, and bits of what she was able to collect before her interview. It was always a wise decision to gather some information on your perspective new boss and the organization, which she did. What she did come to realize during her investigation was that the DiVAS' 'loss' had been one of the best, and that made even Aiyana wonder just how safe any killer was when one of the best had been killed.

A leg moved to cross over the other and her hazel tinted eyes kept eye to eye with Bill. "I believe I am the best choice for your squad because, hell, I won't be cocky, but from the selection of killers out today I'm one of the best you'll find. I have seven plus years of experience to go off of, and I've made more kills than I care to take count. My expertise lies within firearms; pistols, shotguns, revolvers, calibers, magnums; you hand me any one of those and I'm rearing to go." The brunette shifted in her seat but she held a confident thin smile on her fresh features. "There's nothing I can't stick a bullet through. Can't say I'm the quickest, but my aim makes up for it. I can handle a good hand to hand combat and come out the victor with few wounds myself. My sword play could use some work, I'll admit that, but I'm a steady and proficient learner." She inhaled a small breath through her nose. "All in all, I'd say I could fill in the gap quite well."

Bill listened to all of this in polite silence, his expression completely neutral. He was not one to look too impressed by much; Aiyana would learn that one fairly quickly. He'd seen and heard a hell of allot throughout his life. But, she sounded confident, she had the right credentials...and he liked the 'not cocky' comment. Overall, she was doing well.

After she'd finished, he pursed his lips, "Very well, Miss Espona," he leaned forward, "...that's all very nice...but...you will find, I am a man of action just as much as words." He stood, crossing the living room rather randomly. Going over to a small end table near the hallway, he suddenly pulled out a pistol; weird behavior, but this was Bill.

Hefting the gun, an old looking six shooter revolver, he slowly began loading it, "This gun, Miss Espona is over forty years old. It's not one of those fancy semi-auto pieces that most people carry nowadays. It takes a sure hand to shoot this; it's got one hell of a kick back, too much front weight and you have to compensate for the slight right bend of the barrel."

He flicked the chamber shut with a vicious turn of the wrist. Sauntering back over to where Aiyana was sitting, he turned the gun around and held the fancy pearl handle out towards her, "Let's go outside." He fixed her with an intense look.

Standing out in the vacant lot next to the house, the air almost unbearably hot and still, Bill stood slightly behind and off to the side of Aiyana. There was a variety of random targets scattered at the other end of the lot; well over fifty feet away.

Bill crossed his arms, still looking completely stoic. "Alright Miss Espona...you have six bullets...ten targets...choose whichever six you want, but...remember, one miss and I'll make you lunch before I send you home."

It was never said Bill was easy to win over.

Aiyana stood there with the revolver in hand. The weight of the gun didn't seem to falter the young woman, as most female killers looked stronger than they appeared. She glanced to Bill and then turned to assess her targets. The ten targets consisted of miscellaneous items; half of them so far away she could only make out the silhouetted shapes behind the sun. No matter, she effortlessly hefted the heavy fire arm up and held it between two hands, arms outstretched in front of her.

Her façade remained docile, but held that flicker of deep concentration that only a true killer could possess. Her finger tensed on the trigger, eyes squinted down the length of her arm to the length of the barrel…..picking her target, and she fired. The loud bang rang through the desolate lot, followed by the shattering of what might have been glass. Without a second hesitation she shifted her arms to the next selected item and pulled back the trigger. Bang; clunk. She wasn't a hundred percent sure what the hell that was, but it was down. Another shift, she pulled back. Bang; shatter; three down three more to go. She followed up with another bang and a crash, then bang and shatter.

Aiyana had one bullet left, and she was going to make it count. She took concentrating steps to the side, her body turned, as well as her hands with the gun. The targets had mostly been along a straight line, but there was one target set up further back than the rest. The first row consisted of nine targets and five of those were annihilated. That left four in the first row and the one in the back row. So, she pulled back the trigger and that bullet went straight through whatever the fuck the target was in the first row and followed through to the target in the back.

Hands dropped to her sides, and with a pleased smile she turned back to Bill. "So," she handed him back the revolver, which was still admitting smoke from the chambers. "What do seven targets get me?"

Bill, thumbs now looped through his belt, broke out into a hearty laugh. He hadn't laughed like that in months; he almost forgot what it was like. Displaying a wide toothy grin, he tipped his head in Aiyana's direction, "That, Miss Espona, will get you lunch and a job." Still chuckling, he took back the warm pistol. Aiyana had not only nailed the targets, but had proven she possessed a nice little sting of wit; more bonus points in Bill's mind.

"That was some good shooting," he admitted, as they headed back inside, "I would be very curious to know where you learned to shoot like that, tell me over lunch."

When they got inside, Nikishi had already set out some tray's of sushi and random vegetables; this was all in her subtle effort to make sure Bill didn't continue to subsist on Jack Daniels and almonds.

"Please, sit," Bill indicated one of the bar stools. Perhaps unknown to Aiyana, being offered to sit at the bar was a true DiVA thing. Bill sat down on the stool across from her, plucking up a variety of sushi rolls from the main tray and subconsciously arranging them neatly on his own small plate. Aiyana hopefully could stand sushi, because that was another staple for anybody who hung out at Bill's.

"Now," Bill sat back casually, obviously having moved beyond the interview part of this whole thing, "I've seen some ladies shoot pretty well over the years...but that," he picked up a sushi roll, "...that was quite something." It wasn't just flattery either; he meant that. That was pretty goddamn impressive. Beatrix had been a damn good sharpshooter, and of course he knew he could hit those targets. But this woman...sure, she had that 'killer' look, but he didn't expect that out of her. That gun was a beast, he'd had it since he was a kid, it was terrible to shoot with; but this woman had managed it like she was plucking fucking dandelions. Now, Bill didn't usually quantify those sorts of things; but he had a soft spot for some good shooting.

He let the brief flicker of flattery fade away, "You mentioned your sword work needs help, we can work on that. I have trained all of the Viper's myself in the art of the samurai sword." Bill was always ready to flatter himself, "I am fairly confident you'll catch on quickly."

Throughout Bill's words Aiyana was beaming. She was ecstatic about having received the job and would have squealed gleefully, but instead the prominent smile plastered across her face was enough to get the point across. She plucked off some random sushi rolls from the tray, taking only a salmon, tuna, California, and eel roll, as she enjoyed sushi but stayed away from the more exotic and 'unknown' rolls.

"Of course," she gave a tight nod. "I do know the basics of the katana and I used it once years back, but the ops I went on didn't require me to use such weaponry….so I was swayed away from the sword," she explained lightly. Aiyana hadn't been too intimidated upon first meeting Bill and during the whole interview. She was a relatively calm person and was able to remain calm during such daunting interviews.

Now that the interview was over and they could get on more personal terms Aiyana felt perplexed by Bill's presence. Listening to and watching him with that stoic expression it almost baffled her that this man was labeled the deadliest man in the world. But when all was said and done, she found him to be a polite, honorable, intelligent, charming, sophisticated, and reasonable man. Of course, later on she'd learner the finer and more 'nastier' traits that also made up Bill.

Using the chopsticks set out for her, she bit off a portion of her sushi and set it back down. "About your question earlier," she began in a light, amiable tone. "I learned to shot first from my father. He was fond of guns and went into the trade. He taught me the mechanics of the weapon first. Then when I was in my teenage years, my second cousin came to stay with us; he came from the Midwest; full out cowboy." She flashed a timid smile of amusement. "He taught me how to shoot, and I improved those skills from there."

She shrugged her shoulders. "There's no big amazing story to how I learned too shoot. I just grew up with a family obsessed with guns, and instead of making them for living….I decided to play with them."

Bill was very aware of the 'side' of him that he was currently displaying. He was being himself of course, but he was very adept at locking the rest of him away for the moment. Aiyana would learn in time that there was more to Bill than she first perceived, but all the Vipers had gone through that process as well. It was often Bill's tactic to snare people in, to the point where they genuinely really liked him; because he could be very likable, And then, he'd reveal the bastard side at a later time, at which point they still liked him far too much to truly hate him. Eh, but then again, he just liked to fuck with people's minds more than anything.

"Your father was a gunsmith?" Bill raised a brow, some weird looking sushi roll frozen I mid bite. Now...that was cool. "Well," he smiled, setting down the roll, "...I'd have to say your second cousin knew his marksmanship, he taught you well...and, I'm jealous Miss Espona," he said with a smirk. "When I was a boy, I used to dream about being raised by gunsmiths and cowboys. I thought, that if I could spend everyday, shooting guns, making guns...," he chuckled, "…well, I thought I would be in paradise... "He trailed off, laughing at himself, "Then again, I suppose becoming a killer partially fulfills that dream." Bill was always willing to divulge bits and pieces of personal memento and lesson; especially to those who'd listen. "A killer Miss Espona, like myself, like yourself, like those I employ...," he grew more serious, "You're a professional Miss Espona, so I won't waste your time with patronizing lectures...but...I will tell you that I am absolutely serious about what I do. This is a business." Anybody who knew Bill's history would most likely already know that, but he liked to reinstate things for clarity, "I expect that what I say goes," he pinned an intense look on her, "And there are consequences to not following orders," he paused dramatically, "I'm sure my reputation proceeds me in that category."

He leaned back, suddenly flashing a smile; his entire demeanor switching back, "But, I don't think I need to worry about that with you Miss Espona. Now, I'll have Miss Fatale, my lawyer; draw up a contact for you. We can work out specifics at that point, salary expectations and so forth." He leaned on the counter, "My old boring self can't be all that entertaining, so it would nice if you could meet your associates soon." He did a quick mental check, O-Ren was still in Tokyo, Vernita and Elle were on assignments, but should be back soon, Budd was around...somewhere. "Likewise, it would be best for you to acquire an apartment or housing nearby. There are a few decent places; I can give you some recommendations if you wish."

As Bill had gone through all of this with the new recruit, he'd done his best to shove any thought of Beatrix out of his mind; easier said than done, but he was managing. The last thing he wanted was for this new Viper to find out that he possessed a weak and broken side, which would ruin his entire persona. And equally as worse, he didn't want Aiyana to know the sort of relationship he'd had with the woman she was 'replacing', no doubt that would make her highly uncomfortable. Of course, Elle or Vernita would most likely open their big mouths soon enough, and Aiyana would find out some skewed version of it. But, for now, it was best she not know. And Aiyana was certainly very attractive, but Bill was no slobbering, perverse, desperate, ungentlemanly dirty old man. He never tried forced himself on women, they generally came to him. Besides, Beatrix still so dominated his mind that he couldn't even fathom touching anybody else at the moment. All of that aside, he was already thinking of Aiyana in the same vein as he did O-Ren; a sort of deadly, beautiful adopted daughter type. He liked her, he liked her professionalism, he liked that she could shoot extremely well, and he found her history rather interesting.

"You are of Spanish...or of Hispanic heritage correct?" He spoke up suddenly, breaking from that revere and offering a gentle smile, "Or at least, partially so?"

"Spanish, yes," Aiyana replied after swallowing the sushi in her mouth. She had been listening intently to Bill. She wasn't hanging on his every word, but she took mental notes. She was very professional in the manner in which she took her job. She was one to show off as she had with the target shooting out back. She wanted to make sure her new boss saw what she was more than capable of doing. She also loved killing and that left little area for not following the rules. Everyone knew about Bill's bad temper and she wasn't oblivious to that. But she sure as hell didn't know the full extent of that bad temper.

"My father was half Spanish and my mother was a full redneck American. A touch of an odd couple, but they got a long," she explained lightly. Obviously Aiyana had a decent childhood unlike so many that came into the killing business. She was sure her cohorts didn't have such easy pasts. And speaking of cohorts, she was anxious to meet them. Of course she'd be the oddball and outcast at first, but she found herself to be a likable person. Like Bill she wasn't displaying the full range of her personality. She kept professional and would be for quite sometime, until she became used to her new surroundings….and then she'd more than likely open up.

The remainder of the luncheon was spent pleasantly with light conversation. Aiyana learned further bits and pieces about Bill and information on her working atmosphere. Bill in turn learned about some of Aiyana's past free lance assignments and further tid bits on her past life.

Now standing at the door Aiyana was plastered with a friendly smile and demeanor. "Thank you again…Bill," his name rolled off her tongue unevenly. She wanted to call him something more formidable, but she couldn't think of anything. Besides, she knew of people that had never met Bill refer to him simply as Bill. "I look forward to working for you."


	11. Chapter 11

A day later, Bill's living room was occupied by all of the members of the Deadly Viper Association, even O-Ren; whom, on a whim, Bill had ordered home from Tokyo. No doubt the Chinese/Japanese half-breed was not exactly happy, nor awake from the sudden long flight back. The others had been fairly easy to round up; Budd being back and Elle and Vernita just returning from assignment.

Bill had very much enjoyed his little interview/lunch with Aiyana Espona, who impressed him enough to get the job; the shooting having been the real clincher. Speaking with her during lunch, he found her easy to get along with as well as a woman with a good amount of assassination experience.

After she had left for the day, he felt confident in his choice, not that that was generally an issue with Bill.

Now, Aiyana had returned to go over and sign her contract with Sofie. Bill was likewise confident in Sofie's abilities to handle the matter alone. He'd gone over the contract earlier. While Sofie and Aiyana were going over business matters in one of the back rooms, often used for such things, the Vipers had one by one strolled into his living room upon Bill's summons.

Bill was now sitting perched on one of the bar stools looking down menacingly at the group of four individuals sitting in the living room. He'd already been going on for over five minutes, telling them a little about the new recruit and his reasons for filling Beatrix's vacant post. There were times, where Bill did explain himself, thoroughly, and this was one of them. Then, he finally got to the point he'd really called this meeting for.

"Lastly," he spoke slowly, eyes boring into each of the Vipers, "I would expect all of you to be on your best behavior with Miss Espona." He smirked, "I realize this is often a very futile request, but..." the smirk dropped, "...I'm fucking serious about this. She's a professional, more so than most of you at times, and should be treated as such. Keep personal matters to yourself...Vernita," he looked right at the dark skinned woman for a few long seconds and then moved to O-Ren, "And...be nice...O-Ren, try it." His glare slid to his brother, "And Budd...she's not here for you to hit on, she's here to work for me." Bill could only hope his brother would lay off the very good looking Aiyana, for her sake. "And Elle," Bill paused and suddenly smiled broadly, "Elle...come here...sit next to me," he held out an arm. Elle looked quizzical for a second but was quickly up on her feet and sitting down next to Bill. Bill's arm snaked around her shoulders, as his hand quickly clamped around her neck in a vice-like grip. Elle's eye went wide with shock and anger for walking into that trap. "Elle," he hissed at her, "...don't...even...do...anything. Remember, she's not Beatrix, she's a completely different person."

Elle nodded emphatically, not able to speak very well with Bill's fingers pressing into her windpipe.

"Very well," he replied after a few long seconds, and released her.

Looking pissed, Elle quickly retreated back to the couch she'd been on before, ignoring the smirk from Vernita and the look of pity from O-Ren.

Bill knew Elle required a little more...poignant reminder than the rest and he ignored the blonde's sharp blue eye. "Everyone is clear on this...that Miss Espona should be treated as an equal," his gaze flicked to O-Ren momentarily, "..like one of us...because, as of today, she is. And, another matter," he leaned back, crossing his arms, "...I would...prefer...that...the...relationship between Beatrix and I not be mentioned to Miss Espona. Now, I'm sure she'll find out eventually, but for the time being...best she not know."

"Why not?" Vernita spoke up for the first time.

Bill raised a brow, "Because, Vernita...somehow I think that bit of information might just make her the slightest bit uncomfortable."

Vernita fell silent, not looking entirely convinced on that matter.

Elle appeared as if she was dying to say something, but instead she sat silent and sulking, a hand nursing her throat.

Bill leaned back, pleased, "Well then...I hope that's settled."

Shortly after Bill had 'threatened' his Vipers into behaving, the half French/Japanese waltzed in with Aiyana close behind. Sofie was carrying a manila folder wide with paperwork and put it on the bar for Bill to store away for safe keeping when he had the chance.

All four Vipers looked up at this entrance and didn't give Sofie a second look, but instead steadied on the new girl. Her slender and curvy figure was adorned with a pair of casual but nice corduroy denim colored pants, a button up white blouse decorated with a subtle flower print, and a pair of high heels that clicked on the floor as she entered. She was beautiful. None of the Vipers expected anything less from Bill, and naturally she was a woman. Upon first judgment she seemed to have a nice and somewhat cocky demeanor.

"If you need me, call me, Bill," Sofie said to break the silent stares. She flashed an overly 'teacher's pet' type smile and turned to stroll out, but before she made it half way across the living room area O-Ren popped up and grabbed her good friend. The half breed gave Bill a fleeting glance before she casually 'walked' Sofie to the door. O-Ren would come back; she was just walking Sofie out…..and discussing a few matters in the process.

Aiyana stood there feeling quite awkward, but it didn't appear in her body posture; which had shoulders up tight and head high. It wasn't until Bill waved her over to sit next to him on the couch did her tension begin to dissipate.

Budd, the cowboy, seated in his usual rocking chair, made a small noise in the back of his throat that signified many things. He propped hands on his thighs, eyes on Aiyana, and muttered, "Nice…" Of course the whip-cracking glare he received from his brother made the sibling immediately shut up and he settled back.

It had been years since Bill really employed someone into the organization. Yes, there had been Jeff, but he was a protégé and protégé's usually didn't become official members for at least a year in the organization. And even those were few and far between. Actually, the last official new member the squad had had was Vernita, whom came in four years ago; during a time when Elle still had two eyes and Beatrix was off training with the renowned bastard Pai Mei….whom was still alive at the time. Vernita hadn't been 'picked on' as most newbie's were by the elitist; they had too much fun fucking around with Beatrix. Actually, Elle, Budd, Vernita, and O-Ren felt mutual that they could all behave now that the 'catalyst' to most of their bickering was dead. But like hell they'd tell Bill that, and this mutual feeling had yet to be tested.

Everyone waited for Bill to begin the introductions.

Bill had given a silent nod to Sofie as she left, remaining silent and watching intensely as O-Ren momentarily joined Sofie on the way out. He felt somewhat bad for Aiyana as she stood there under the heat of six...no...five probing eyes, and made sure to have her join him; hoping that would make her a little more comfortable during the rather daunting moment of being the 'new girl'.

Vernita felt pretty neutral about this Aiayna. She was pretty, but that wasn't a surprise. Beyond that, it was difficult to tell much about her so far...she dressed nicely, looked physically capable, confident...and she wasn't a blonde, so that was good. Vernita wasn't about to make friends, she was still fuming over Beatrix; even if the bitch was dead.

Elle was still smarting over the humiliation of being lured in by Bill, only to be physically threatened. Bastard...she hated it when he did stuff like that to her. But, she was able to move enough beyond that to take a long look at this new chick. Yeah, she was hot...big time 'duh' on that one, but she seemed kinda snobby, and that was fine with Elle. She didn't want to get to know anybody really anyways, that just wasn't something she did. This Aiyana looked like a killer, that much was for sure, and Elle liked that. Like Vernita, she was pretty neutral.

"Miss Espona," Bill started in a brisk manner, still remaining on fairly formal terms with her,"...I'd like you to meet the members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad. The Japanese, Chinese woman who has so boldly taken a step out of my meeting is O-Ren Ishii, codename: Cottonmouth." He motioned to Elle, who tried to look genial and failed miserably, "To my right...is Elle Driver, codename: California Mountain Snake." Elle gave a short nod, and suddenly decided to chew on her fingernail. "Moving on," Bill continued smoothly, motioning to Vernita, "...is Vernita Green, codename: Copperhead." Vernita nodded, mumbling a quiet but friendly, "Nice to meet you." Bill raised a brow, "And last, but certainly not least, is my younger brother Budd, codename: Sidewinder...and yes, I know it's difficult to believe, but we are…sadly….related."

He paused, turning towards Aiyana, "Elle, Budd, Vernita...," he trialed off looking irritated that O-Ren wasn't there at the moment, but dropped the scowl, "...this is Aiyana Espona, whose codename from now on will be Cobra. Miss Espona, during assignments codenames are to be used...but while meeting like this, or in private with fellow squad members, real names are perfectly fine." He leaned back, starting a new train of thought, "Each member of this organization is skilled in all realms of assassination, but there are certain specialties that each is somewhat more of an expert at." He indicated each Viper, "Vernita is an expert with knifes, Elle is an expert sniper as well as hand to hand combat fighter, O-Ren...who's still not in the room, is best with Japanese weapons...katana's etc, and Budd...he's the marksman...although Budd," Bill chuckled, "Miss Espona here gives you a run for your money...in fact, I think she can outshoot you, easily," his eyes flashed with age old sibling taunting.

"You forgot yourself Bill," Elle said, there was no missing the touch of spite in her voice.

"Why...I'm good at everything Miss Driver," Bill replied in a haughty tone, and wearing an expression that made it difficult to tell if he was joking or actually being serious.

Aiyana's eyes flashed to each member as she was introduced and given snippits on each. So far her expression remained calm and practiced. She wasn't about to make accusations on the members she was meeting, but she received a blatant signal from each of them. Bill's brother, Budd, whom she was having trouble fathoming the fact they were related, he seemed…okay. O-Ren, the woman that was not in the room, well she wasn't sure what too make of he,r but Aiyana came to a quick decision that the woman liked her privacy. Vernita seemed to be the only one that seemed remotely welcoming, but her posture was closed off and that pushed the new girl away. And that left Elle. That was a tough one.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Aiyana finally said in a soft tinged but strong note.

"Well, Aiyana, since you've received Bill's introduction allow me to try mine," Budd inquired. He registered Bill's warning glare, but he didn't act on it. He did more than note the sly grins from Elle and Vernita. He leaned forward and cupped his hands in his lap. "First, welcome to the group. You'll grow to love and hate each of us," he let out a light chuckle and continued, "Let's start with Vernita. She's good with her knifes, best I've ever seen…she's an all around good gal, but she can get angry." His eyes shifted to Vernita in a genial manner. He made a 'hmm' noise. "Can't think of anything all that bad about ya, Vern."

He turned to Elle, "Oh boy, Elle. What can I say 'bout her. She's a bitch. Real mean one too. Don't get on her bad side" Of course Budd could have said a lot more true and nastier things about his coworkers, but he didn't do that as he was trying to be amiable to Aiyana. "Then ya got O-Ren, she's a bitch too but she's snotty as hell. High, loyal, and snitty. I swear that gal's gonna take over the world one-a these days."

"I heard my name," said the half breed Jap/Chinese as she re-entered the room. All eyes shifted to her.

"Ah, O-Ren, I was just telling Aiyana," Budd motioned to the lovely looking brunette next to Bill. "About all a-us."

O-Ren raised a quizzical brow and took sauntering steps over to Vernita and sat down next to her. "Did you tell her you're a moron?"

Budd puckered his lips and shook his head. "Mm, nope, not yet."

A barely audible, "Jesus..." escaped under Bill's breath, but he was smirking.

Vernita looked on the verge of laughing, but the tension of the whole situation stopped her. Elle still seemed put off; perhaps Budd's words getting to her more than she thought.

"Just ignore Budd," Vernita spoke up, looking a little friendlier towards Aiyana, "He doesn't get laid very often and he's very frustrated with his lack of ability to properly think, let alone have power over any of us female types."

Bill's head fell into the hand, his elbow resting on the arm of the sofa. So much for professionalism. He gave Aiyana a small apologetic smile.

"Chill...Bill...," Elle sneered, her eye widening, "The new girl's gotta know how dysfunctional we all are sooner or later...might as well be sooner, eh?"

"That's right," Vernita agreed with her characteristic wide and somewhat unsettling grin. "Since Bea-" she stopped short, looking as if she'd swallowed a pill too large for her throat, she retried, "It will be nice to have you around Aiyana...a fresh face is definitely welcomed." She quickly hunched down in her chair, eyes averted from Bill and instead exchanged a glance with O-Ren.

Bill was frowning now, deeply, but he didn't say anything to Vernita. "Yes, well...anyways, I would hope that you will all make Miss Espona feel welcome and show her the ropes the first few times she goes out on assignment." He glanced at the pretty brunette, "Not because I doubt your skills Miss Espona, but simply to show you how we do things around here, which may be a little different than you are used to. After a few partnered assignments, I'll send you out on your own," he gave her a knowing smile, "I'm sure you'll be fine."

"Just don't piss Bill off," Elle added, giving him a leering look. "He can be a real motherf-"

"Yes, I've already spoken to Miss Espona about the failure to comply with rules and orders," he quickly cut Elle off, glaring.

Elle snorted, leaning towards him, "I wasn't talking about not following rules or orders Bill..." she said; voice laced with girly sugar coated sweetness.

Aiyana shifted in her seat and neatly folded hands into her lap. She didn't mind the playful bickering and words exchanged. She found it amusing and gave her a great deal of information on each; such as personality and their separate relationships with one another. It was clear that the group had their difficulties and malfunctions, but what 'family' didn't. She wasn't sure whether they all 'liked' one another, but either way they appeared to hold tight bonds. She could only hope she'd fit into that bond and be an accepted participant.

Budd cleared his throat to get the heat off the tension between Elle and Bill. "I'm sure ya'll figure out each-a-us in time, Aiyana," he assured with a gentle smile. Even though Budd could be a moron, he could be a likable moron.

Aiyana received the smile welcomingly and returned it. "I'm sure I will."

"Oh," Budd added with a pointed finger. "Don't worry 'bout assignments. Whoever you're paired up with, we'll watch your back. Don't want ya killed off that quickly."

Aiyana sat up a little bit as she felt this subject was much easier to converse with. "I don't believe that will be a problem."

The Chinese/Japanese muttered a few selected Japanese words under her breath that clearly came off as 'suck up'. Good thing for her Aiyana wasn't fluent in Japanese.

Budd cast her a look before turning back to Aiyana his smile still present. He was liking the new girl and not in that perverted sense either. "Ya can never be sure. I remember this one time," his lips twisted into a smirk at a fond memory transpiring in his head. "I think it was Vernita's fourth or fifth time out. Even though she was gettin' good, Bill wanted Bea and I…" He was obviously too immersed in his story to notice the glares he was receiving, but he had Aiyana's attention so who cared? "…to babysit Vernita. Make sure she didn't get herself killed. Anywhoo, Vernita being a cocky assed bitch ditched us and went off on her own. Luckily we found 'er before some jack ass put a bullet in 'er head." He began to chuckle. "Goddamn, remember Vernita? That guy had that gun pointed right at your 'ead and Bea just sexy-walked on over and chopped that there arm right off."

Aiyana shared in Budd's chuckle with amused curiosity. "My…my….that is something…But," her high slender brows arched. "Bea is…"

O-Ren flippantly cut in, "Beatrix Kiddo."

The name of the Black Mamba hung in the air for a few minutes.

Then, Vernita smirked, a mixed expression; it was a fond memory, but it was one that involved Beatrix. "Yeah," she said a little weakly, "...that was some funny shit..." there seemed to almost be a momentary flash of guilt on her deadly features, "That guy was so distracted, he didn't' know what hit him until he spotted his own arm a few feet away, so classic Bea...but," she pointed a finger at Budd,"...I was not being a cocky assed bitch!"

Bill hadn't said a word in return to all of this, but his facial features were drawn tightly, and he seemed to have fixated his dark gaze into one corner of the room. The subject of Viper's getting killed was a sore one for him...the subject of Beatrix Kiddo, far more so. But, he didn't' want to react too strongly in front of the newest member. That being said, if Aiyana had not been here, he would have already put an end to this line of conversation. The rest of the Viper's were taking advantage of this, and it was fucking annoying.

"Yeah," Elle drawled, "…..leave it to Bea to pull the sex appeal card...eh Bill?"

Bill said nothing, his expression unchanging.

Vernita, realizing that this was getting all too dangerous, decided to try to steer it in a slightly different direction, she focused on Aiyana with a genial look, "Beatrix Kiddo, she was Black Mamba, was one hell of an assassin." Vernita had never had issues with Bea's skills, it was her personal life that had gotten in the way, "I mean...we're all good, but she...goddamn...she was," Vernita shook her head, her braids shifting with the movement, "...vicious with style." Vernita knew O-Ren would be prone to argue with this, but she felt strongly that Beatrix had been one of the best she'd ever seen.

Elle shrugged, she wasn't about to go on about how 'good' Beatrix was...no matter what; even if, she had had complete respect for her fellow blonde...when it came to being a killer. "Yeah, she was pretty good," she mumbled.

Bill was still stoic, he didn't offer a word, a glance, or even the slightest shift in movement to any of this.

Budd shot Elle a look. "Come on, Elle. She was more than pretty good and you know it." He fixed Aiyana with another gentler look and saw the fascination in her hazel hues so he decided to elaborate. Bill wasn't stopping them. "Elle and Beatrix hated each other. They tried to kill one another more than once. Regular blonde bitch fight and I never got to see one of 'em." He scowled leaning back in his chair.

"I did," O-Ren interjected almost gleefully. Obviously the half breed was finding some sick pleasure in taking about Beatrix openly and on somewhat genial terms.

Budd wove a dismissive hand in her direction. "Yeah…shut up O-Ren." He crossed arms over his chest.

"What happened to her?" Aiyana finally spoke up; her face glowing with that innocent curiosity.

"She's dead," O-Ren abruptly stated her face emotionless.

"Oh," Aiyana muttered her curiosity dying off.

"Will all of you shut the fuck up," Bill spoke up finally, his voice vicious. He quickly patted Aiyana on the forearm, "Not you Miss Espona," he added in a far gentler tone.

This worked, and silence dominated the large living room for a few torturous seconds.

Bill leaned back, taking a deep breath. He regarded one of his rings for a moment, frowning, trying to decide on how to word this. He almost felt like he'd been cornered into some therapy session: 'Hi, my name's Bill, I'm a murdering bastard who fell completely in love with a woman who not only worked for me, but was half my age. Then she went off and got killed and left me a complete goddamn fucking wreck' No, that wouldn't do.

He cleared his throat, concentrating on talking to Aiyana and nobody else. "Beatrix Kiddo," he began, and there it was, the narrator tone, "...was a woman who came into my employ about five years ago. She was very young when I met her, but skilled...I saw her potential right away. She...had reasons to want to leave her current lifestyle and I offered her to take her up as a protégé. "He glanced at the brunette, "That is how I've gained most of my employees Miss Espona. Of course, I was right; she was a natural born killer. She was exceptionally talented with all forms of weaponry, but...I was most impressed with her sword skills...which I spent a great amount of time working on with her. Like others here, I had her trained by a legendary kung fu master by the name of Pai Mei. She was there for three years. On her return, well," he smiled, and there was no missing the fondness there, "…she proved to become one of the best killers I've ever seen. She...," he trailed off, apparently running into a difficult emotional roadblock. tThere was a momentary softness in Bill's eyes, directed at something that was no longer there, "...she and I...were close." He shifted a little on the couch, recovering himself, "She was killed over a month ago, on an assignment. You, Miss Espona, have taken up her place...and...I am happy to have a woman of your skills here with us now."

He fell silent...not sure how he felt about saying all of that. It had all been fairly impersonal, but it had only proved to bring Beatrix back up to the forefront of Bill's mind. Nobody had moved much as they listened; perhaps most of them were afraid of what was going to happen.

"She was a very special person...to me...and...others," Bill added softly, not giving a fucking shit what anybody else in the room thought. "Her loss...is deeply felt throughout this organization." He rubbed at his chest idly; knowing that had been a pretty pathetic explanation for how much Beatrix had meant to him...but, he felt it best to stay as distanced as possible at the moment.

Aiyana listened to Bill with a placid demeanor and sparks of sympathy. She wasn't uncomfortable knowing she was replacing someone so well thought of and missed in the organization, but then again she didn't know about the complete relationship Bill had with Beatrix. She pursed her lips idly taking all of this in. A momentary thought flickered on a daunting question that if this Beatrix Kiddo was as good as her coworkers believed she was, than why had she been killed on assignment? She wouldn't ask this as it was an unusually cruel remark.

"I'm very sorry," she said slowly and gently with a generally sympathetic smile.

Budd was staring at his brother with an emotionless façade. He knew that took a hell of a lot for Bill to come out and say that stuff, especially when it was about Bea. But as hard as it was, Budd believed that getting that out was good for Bill; in a healing and moving on type of sense. "Don't get all teary eyed over it, Aiyana," Budd directed with a lop sided grin. "We're all dealing."

"Right…we're all dealing…very…well," O-Ren added, her soft brown eyes lingering on Bill for a lengthened moment before turning away. She hated when Bill spoke about Beatrix like that, as she thought the complete opposite. But after being so ruthlessly slashed for voicing her opinions the other month, she kept mute on the remainder of the topic.

Ignoring O-Ren, Bill tried to pull himself out of the dampening mood that he'd suddenly succumbed to, "Well...," he forced a smile, "...that is the risk one takes as a killer...and we are all aware of those risks." That was typical Bill advice, that he only spewed out half heartedly at the moment. He was only making himself a hypocrite by saying that and he knew it.

Elle had sorta zoned out during the whole "Bea talk", she could care less about hearing Bill lament, and he was only half assed lamenting anyways. She knew, knowing Bill, he was far more passionate than that...he was holding back; which was probably for the benefit of the new girl.

Vernita looked contented enough, she found she liked talking and hearing about Bea in the past tense; as if once Beatrix was gone and dead, she could remember her fondly again...as long as she didn't think too much about the last six months or so.

"Hey Bill," Vernita spoke up, eyes a little distant with remembrance, "...do you remember the one time Bea pulled that fast one on ya...she told you she hot wired one of your cars, the black Ferrari, and had the paint sand blasted off and powered coated in baby powder pink?" Vernita laughed, "That was so funny...the look on your face...when you bolted out to your garage...to find the car gone..."

"Not funny," Bill shot back, although he was starting to smile as well, "She did take the car though...and she had some fucking nerve to do that too. I do recall Vernita, that it was you and her both who were in on that..."

"It was my idea," Vernita admitted, "But Bea hotwired the car..."

Elle barely remembered this incident, it must have happened right when Beatrix had returned from Pai Mei's and she was getting ready to go herself. Vernita had just started at that point, and was something of a troublemaker; not that she still wasn't in some ways. "What happened to the car?" the blonde asked, curiosity causing her to speak up.

"They parked it twenty miles from the Mexican border, in the parking lot of an incredibly sleazy strip joint," Bill replied, humor flickering in his eyes. "I had to do some serious threatening to get the information from you two."

Vernita waved a hand, "We were just fucking with you Bill...you were all stressed out about something…..I dunno...," her smile grew more contemplative, "Good times..."

"Hrm, yes," Bill agreed quietly.

Budd was chuckling lightly at the story and Aiyana had on an amused smile. She found it a tad odd talking so freely and 'fondly' about a member that was dead, when a new member was right there, but it appeared the group needed a few laughs and she wasn't one to intervene. Besides, laughing and chatting over funny stories was a good way to break the ice.

"A lesson to be learned," Budd said, his words pointed in Aiyana's direction. "Don't ever touch Bill's cars. He treats 'em like their his fucking kids, which is all good cause he shouldn't have kids to begin with….so cars are the best bet. Anywhoo, don't touch the cars or pretend your gonna fuck with 'em."

Aiyana gave a tight nod to this. She liked cars but she knew a threat when she saw one. "Highly noted," she reassured.

"Mmm," the once mute O-Ren began in a low and somewhat eerily calm tone, "I remember that time Elle had just returned from Pai Mei. Beatrix followed Elle around for five days straight, bugging and harassing her about that missing eye." The half breed flashed a genial smile in the willowy blonde's direction. "It was very amusing when she'd come up with what she thought Elle may have said or done to the ancient kung fu master. My favorite was when she accused you of sleeping with him and he thought you were a lousy fuck, so he plucked out your eye."

Budd chuckled. "Yeah, and she finally stopped harassing Elle when Bill became fed up and threatened Bea by saying he'd pluck out her own eye….so she and Elle could be twins, that is if she didn't shut the fuck up. I think the being twins part scared 'er more."

The mood seemed to quickly have lightened, and while it felt weird...talking like this, especially amongst killers and a new member, it also seemed to have been desperately needed. The last two months had been particularly bad, and even throughout the past year or so there had been a slow escalation in tension amongst everybody.

Vernita was laughing, and even Bill was chuckling with amusement. Elle, well…..she was smirking; she wasn't the type to laugh non-wickedly at much, especially when she was partially the butt of the joke.

"I remember the eye thing," Vernita was still laughing, a hand slapping on the arm of the couch, "That was so fucking funny...Elle...seriously...," she burst into more laughter, "...I wouldn't be able to look at you again...if Pai Mei had plucked your eye because..." she stopped to succumb to more laughter, "...because you were a lousy fuck."

"I did NOT fuck that ancient foolish old…..bastard!" Elle spat back.

Bill was smirking; sitting back with an expression of dark humor, "Hrm, one eyed blonde twins," he murmured in his brother's direction, winking...as he made an eye popping out motion, accompanied by an 'eye popping out' sound. Ff course there was no doubt that Bill could have really done it, if he'd chosen to.

Elle rolled her eye at Bill, not finding him very funny at all. She knew very well what she'd said to Pai Mei to cause him to pull her eye out, but she sure as hell wasn't going to tell everybody what it was; not because it was anything earth shattering, more because she liked to keep up the mystery of it. Maybe someday...

Vernita, having recovered herself, looked at Aiyana, "Sorry Aiyana...I'm sure this seems a little weird to you, but...we've all been pretty fucking stressed out lately...nice to crack every now and then," she smiled, a real smile...the type of smile she used to share with 'friends.'

"I could tell you some stories about Budd," Bill started, "But...I don't think I want to scare all of you ladies off like that."

"Heh, wouldn't scare me," Elle snorted.

"Don't count on it Elle," he gave her a wolfish grin, "And besides," he waved the idea away, "...I'm sure we're getting a little off the topic of the meeting here. I'm sure Miss Espona is wondering what planet she just landed on."

Vernita gave Bill a scowl. Ah, so there it was...Bill attempting to reel the whole thing back in.

"Oh no, I find this quite fascinating," Aiyana reassured. As she had perceived earlier, the laughter and sharing of stories had lightened the group. The smile she had received from Vernita had been a prominent result. The less tense her coworkers were the easier time she'd have getting along with them. It was funny how laughter could fix such a problem.

Budd had been giving his brother a well mannered glare. He had done some pretty fucked up things in his life, and he didn't want them shared. But there were also those amusing points that only Bill had witnessed, putting a thicker bond between them. He kept his eyes on Bill. "Yeah, well, nothing was scarier than that time Vernita told you to go fuck yourself and Bea insisted she already had."

"She did what?" O-Ren was now in full attention. "Why was I not there for this?"

Budd shrugged, he was still keeping on the amused side as if the whole group was still in 'funny story telling mode'. "Mmm…" he pursed his lips. "You were pissed off and left early."

Aiyana had been silent for a long time as she listened intently to the stories told. She was interested, and this one in particular caught her attention. A smirk etched over her features. "Beatrix certainly was the frisky and impulsive one."

"Yeah…" Budd trailed off a moment, taking note that he wasn't getting the same laughs as earlier stories had.

"Oh Jesus," Vernita made a face, "Yeah, let's not talk about that..."

Bill's lip twisted. Somehow...somefuckinghow, he knew that was going to come up. Sometimes, he swore he worked with a group of old gossiping knitting circle women than a group of trained killers. They simply couldn't resist the temptation to drop that saucy little morsel right in front of the newest member. At least it had remained a little vague...for the moment.

"Yes," he spoke up with a feral glare, "Let's not." Goddamn, was there anything left sacred in the world? Apparently not. He'd let the meeting get a little casual, but he was not about to have his rather personal affairs shared with Miss Espona. Not only that...he didn't need to be reminded of the memories of sleeping with Beatrix. Because...honestly, he was just a little deprived in that department at the moment; another fact that did not need to be brought to the forefront of this meeting.

Budd shifted in his seat. "Let's order pizza," he declared suddenly way off topic.

O-Ren scowled from her side of the room. She swore every fucking time they held a group meeting Budd insisted they order pizza. She hated pizza. Fucking pizza and what was with that sudden topic change? Fucking topic change. She crossed arms over her chest in a huff.

"No pizza!" Elle shouted, getting up from the couch she'd been lounging on, "I'm so sick of you and your pizza fucking Budd!" Elle had had to endure more pizza then ever lately on her assignments with Budd, and she swore she was going to fucking puke if she ate another slice.

Vernita was giving Aiyana a smile, finding her 'frisky and impulsive' comment about Beatrix highly amusing, even if Bill had selectively ignored it.

Bill stood, frowning…..heading for the bar, "We'll order something...Budd, you can order pizza for yourself...I'll order...," he was about to say El Casa Beuno, but...that only reminded him of his last evening with Beatrix. In fact, he hadn't ate their food since then. "...I'll order Chinese," he corrected himself with a mutter and produced his cell phone from his slacks pocket.

Meanwhile, Vernita had moved over to take Bill's place next to Aiyana, "I know that was all a little weird," she murmured lowly to the brunette, "...but you seemed to handle it well...I think you'll do just fine here. I still remember what it was like to be new," she smiled, rather personably. "There's a lot of...history between all of us, I'm sure you'll find out more as you go...but, I bet in no time you'll be one of group." Vernita wasn't sure why she'd suddenly taken such a liking to the newbie...but, there was something about her that she liked. And maybe...just maybe...she was feeling the need to find somebody she could confide in; since she'd burnt that other bridge months ago.

O-Ren was looking pissed off from having the former topic changed, and Elle was harassing Budd as he tried to call the pizza in; mostly just to be a bitch. Bill glanced harshly at Vernita and Aiyana, talking closely, as he dialed into his cell phone. He swore to God...if Vernita was gossiping, like she was prone to do, he was going to seriously cut one of her toes off this time.

"No, I want pepperoni, not fucking peppers," Budd growled into his cell phone in high irritation. "Jesus Christ, Elle, shut up," Elle was standing behind him making crude 'chatter' while he was trying to place in his pizza order.

O-Ren was watching this exchange from across the room with a mixture of amusement and bemusement. There was only so long she could watch Elle torment Budd before she became bored or wanted to join in. She wasn't in the right mood to join in, so her hard brown eyes shifted to the two women on the couch.

"I appreciate that," Aiyana was saying in response to Vernita. She had on a soft smile and an equally welcoming demeanor. Out of all of them, she was beginning to grow partial to Vernita and perhaps Budd only because he had been the most friendly….giving her small bits of advice throughout the meeting.

"You'll find in time we aren't all fun to get along with," the half breed seemed to just appear on the other side of Aiyana. It was a little strange to see O-Ren suddenly being personable, but Bill told her to be nice so she was being…nice. Although even Aiyana found this behavior unnerving and she hardly knew the woman.

"Until we find something to loathe about you, Miss Espona, we'll keep you in line," O-Ren offered a thin smile.

"Thank you," Aiyana said slowly and with a touch of uncertainty.

Vernita shot a vicious glare at O-Ren. Fucking bitch. She could never quite understand what O-Ren's deal was exactly.

"Don't worry about any of that," Vernita reassured Aiyana, her glare still partially on O-Ren, "You'll be perfectly fine...Bill seems to like you and he's definitely the best person to have on your side." She fell silent, realizing exactly what she'd just said, that she'd just made herself a complete hypocrite when it had come to the matter of Beatrix. She quickly recovered herself, flashing Aiyana a smile, "Well...whatever...don't take anything around here too seriously."

Elle had managed to drive Budd half mad by the time he got the pizza ordered. Now she was milling around the living room, following Bill around, who had just finished ordering and wasn't looking all too pleasant.

By the time all of the food arrived everybody had wandered out onto the back patio. The large plethora of food, Bill never ordered on the short side of things, was scattered along the long adobe style table that dominated amongst the smaller patio furniture.

Bill had remained fairly silent and sullen as he sat down, Hanzo sword in hand. Nobody paid much attention to that fact; it was a fairly common sight. Everybody else was scattered along the table, snatching at food and attempting to keep the conversation away from being too angry and violent.

Vernita had sat down next to Aiyana and as far away from O-Ren as possible. Elle had tried to talk to Bill, had received a very nasty look, so she decided to sit next to Budd; mainly to keep giving him shit about the pizza.

Budd had gone beyond the point of mad when Elle continued to harass him, even when he was eating the fucking pizza. She had her plate of assorted Chinese cuisine and his plate had been stacked with two slices of pepperoni pizza. He had finished off his last slice and got up to retrieve another, even with Elle's constant crude remarks.

"Wow, that's really something Vernita," Aiyana commented after Vernita had gone over one of her more 'typical' assignments. Throughout dinner, Vernita had been genial enough to give Aiyana tips and friendly advice when it came to working for Bill. She was very formal about the whole thing; either because she didn't know Aiyana all that well yet to give more detailed tips or it was because she wasn't 'allowed'. Either way Aiyana was thankful for it and enthusiastically responsive. "Do you usually have that much trouble during an assignment?"

"Nah, not usually," Vernita waved her chopsticks, "Some assignments can be pretty boring, but...there are enough freaky weird ones to keep things pretty exciting. Sometimes, you run into a pretty bad situation, and you wonder how the hell your going to get out of it alive...but," she shrugged, "….you know how it goes...you always end up pulling through, while your target doesn't fare so lucky."

It was obvious that Aiyana and Vernita were getting along quite well. Everybody else seemed to have taken to her fine, or….they at least didn't hate her. O-Ren was just being typically snobby and distanced and Elle was being typically cynical and uncaring; it wasn't really personal.

Bill was thankful that his brother hadn't taken obvious passes at Miss Espona, but that didn't exactly mean the young woman was in the clear on that one. As everybody ate, Bill preferred to simply watch and remain silent; he was sometimes prone to this type of stoic observation and, like the Hanzo sword, nobody found it out of character. Besides, the rather...colorful conversation of the meeting, the new recruit seemed to be welcomed well enough. He was anxious to get everybody back on assignment and get things back and rolling. The sooner Miss Espona got acquainted with the DiVA's style of assignments, the better. Bill certainly wasn't hurting financially, but...he was a workaholic, and work proved as a good distraction from more personal matters.

Slowly, the meal wound down; leaving a group of empty take out boxes on the table. When Nikishi appeared to clean up, Bill stood, and setting down his sword, helped the Japanese woman with her task.

Getting the hint, everybody slowly began to work their way back inside and get ready to leave. "It was nice to meet you," Vernita shook Aiyana's hand, "Hopefully we'll get partnered up on an assignment soon," she smiled.

"Me too, it was great meeting you," Aiyana replied with a smile. She offered a smile to the rest, but only received subtle smiles back and an overly warm smile from Budd on her departure. She thanked Bill for the evening. It had been a…pleasant, informative, and educational meeting. Aiyana learned a great deal about her fellow employees in a short period of time. She already held a respect towards them, but she found them a tad on the unprofessional side, especially when she acted so professional. It was irritating to the brunette, and she could only hope they didn't act in such a manner on assignment. But they wouldn't be one of the top assassination groups in the world if they were unprofessional. So, allowing the events of the night sink in, Aiyana headed home.


	12. Chapter 12

The tall 'maternal' blonde was laughing pleasantly as Tommy adjusted the musical stuffed bunny rabbit against her stomach. Tommy's mother, sweet woman, or from what Beatrix heard, had sent them an early 'pregnancy' gift. It arrived in the mail and upon opening the blonde stared agog. The gift was a medium sized stuffed animal, a bunny rabbit no less, white with a pink nose, the stomach was flat…not like a normal stuffed animal, and inside the stomach was an equally flat music box that played select classical lullabies. Okay, it was really cute but when Tommy coaxed her into actually using it she wanted to throw the fucking animal out the window.

Now, it was cute but she didn't entirely like it….but she hadn't thrown it out the window, yet. The stuffed rabbit's musical stomach was made so it sat flat or more like conformed to the shape of Beatrix's slightly bulging tummy. She really wasn't that 'big'. She was about the size of a partially deflated or more like half a basketball.

"Do you really think that music is going to calm her down? Because I am quite partial to my kidneys," she joked affectionately at the man beside her. Earlier that day Beatrix took Tommy to the doctor's with her. The daunting doctor's visit. Thank God Tommy knew almost nothing about pregnancy or wasn't letting on that he knew anything, so the fact that the doctor could tell them the sex of the baby at such an early stage wasn't too suspicious. Nor was it peculiar that the baby sprouted very 'proficient' legs. All in all the visit was a success and in a way drew the new couple closer; which Beatrix more than needed.

She was now lying on her back, her head propped up on two pillows, and blue eyes staring questionably at the music playing rabbit.

Tommy, lounging next to Arlene, his head supported by his elbow, smiled broadly, "Well, according to my mother...it's supposed to aid in a smoother pregnancy." He shrugged, not so sure about that theory himself, "She said she used to put a small music box close next to her when she was pregnant with me, since they didn't have such fancy stuffed animals back in her day. She swears by it, noting that I turned out to be such a nice guy that it has to be a sure thing." He chuckled, his hand stroking the soft fur on the stuffed animal that was lying on top of Arlene's slightly bulging belly. "Either way, it was a nice thought though, she's ecstatic about all of this ya know." His eyes turned up to the tall blonde, "She's been wanting me to have kids for years...I'd even bet she's been secretly stocking up on baby stuff for at least five years now..."

He then laid down flat on his back next to the pregnant blonde; hands lacing behind his head. Tommy was very content, content with his life...content with Arlene, and while things had sorta gone on an unexpected route with her, he couldn't be more content with the thought of them having a child together. He could already picture their little family in his mind...living in his small house. Maybe, if the store picked up a little, he could afford a bigger place...and nicer things for Arlene and the baby. He wanted to be able to provide for them like they deserved.

He wrapped one of his arms around the back of Arlene's head; nestling down next to her, his gaze cast down at Arlene's bunny laden stomach. He was already feeling very happy about the whole pregnancy thing, but after going to the doctor's with Arlene he felt even more so. Dr. Herman had been very nice and was willing to answer the multitude of questions Tommy had about pregnancy and newborns.

"Just think Arlene," he mused in a quiet voice, "Nine months from now...we'll be able to lie here with our baby..." he looked up at her with a lopsided grin, "...it's almost impossible to believe." He squeezed her shoulder, "I can't wait..."

Beatrix cast a wide and affectionate smile down at him. Her blue eyes sparked with excitement, but that was just sugar coating over the amount of angst, guilt, and sadness she felt. The past few months had been bliss, and she was very content with her new life style but she couldn't deny the itching in the back of her mind that wanted more. That more went completely back to Bill and what she left behind. By now Beatrix had effectively and efficiently closed herself off from anything having to do with Bill or her past. She had had her relapse at the bar and she had given Bill more than his far share of 'missing' and thinking about him. She had paid her dues and now she had far exceeded her time for further 'mourning'. She had her baby girl and Tommy to fill her thoughts with, and that was more than enough.

"Life's complicated that way," she muttered lightly. Her hand brushed up and a few select long white digits brushed against his cheek tenderly. "It'll be perfect." A tender moment passed between the couple. In this moment it was obvious how much Beatrix cared about Tommy. She still debated whether she loved him. It was complex. But she was slowly beginning to love him in some manner. It surely wasn't puppy love, but it wasn't quite what she had had with Bill…but it was there and it was special.

The moment passed and Beatrix blinked her intense blue eyes on the rabbit. The music had stopped and so did the kicking. Her lips twisted into an amused smirk. "Fuck, it worked." Her only reasons for despising this result was that it meant she'd have to keep the fucking rabbit around and use it.

Tommy leaned over, placing a tender kiss on Arlene's smirking lips; sorta missing the point of her disgruntled attitude, "Good thing too...," he murmured, "I would hate to have you dealing with a kicking baby all of the time," he chuckled lightly, a hand straying to her hair; brushing some stray strands from her forehead, "I can't even imagine having something inside my belly...kicking around like that." Like most men, he found the thought weird...but kinda cool. Of course, he was glad he didn't have to deal with it, but...he had the utmost respect for the woman who would have to carry his child around for nine months. The more pregnant Arlene got, the more Tommy started to treat her as something "frail." Even at work, he insisted she not pick up anything heavy and he was constantly keeping an eye on her, just to make sure she wasn't straining herself. He was being protective; already turning into a father.

"Guess the bunny's staying then," he spoke up after a moment; finally picking up on Arlene's comment. He gave her a small smile, "Well, at least you don't have to wear it in public...and my mother will be ecstatic to know that it worked, I'll have to tell her the next time she calls...which, will probably be tomorrow." Ever since finding out her son was going to be a father, Tommy's mother had been calling even more frequently then normal...wanting to check in.

Tommy shifted a little into a more comfortable position against the headboard. He stayed silent for a few minutes; during which time his demeanor grew less mellow and a more nervous. He wasn't a great liar, nor was he great at hiding his emotions...he liked to be truthful and he liked to let people know how he truly felt.

"Ya know," he began, a little faultily, rubbing at his cheek, "I was thinking Arlene, maybe we should get married...," he glanced at her; obviously seeking approval. He'd been thinking about this a lot lately throughout the past couple weeks, thinking about how it was the right thing to do...thinking about how much he loved Arlene, and how...it just seemed right. "It just seems right," he whispered, eyes searching hers, voicing his own thoughts.

If Tommy was searching her eyes for something he wasn't going to find anything. She was emotionless, blank, and vacant but her mind was blazing. What the fuck had he just suggested? Marriage? The thought was laughable and she would have laughed if Tommy hadn't been so blatantly serious about it. Holy fuck, he was serious. Beatrix sat up, knocking the bunny off her stomach and onto the floor (not on purpose), and pulled her shirt back down to cover her stomach. Her eyes remained on him.

Never in her entire life did she think about marriage. Sure, she secretly yearned to settle down with a husband and kids, but she came to the conclusion long ago that she wasn't the marrying type. Ah, but as quickly as the tall blonde appeared shocked she switched gears. Beatrix Kiddo wasn't fit for marriage, but Arlene Machiavelli sure as hell was. The more her shock dissipated the more she realized how fantastic the idea really was.

Marriage would more than give her baby a secure father and living establishment. And hell, she could get a legal last name, which was a perk. The tall blonde pursed her lips and turn cast her eyes away from Tommy. "It does seem…right," she muttered in a soft reply. She shifted her eyes back to Tommy; which were now ablaze with happiness and deep thought affection. Her lips curved into a thin smile. "It's a perfect idea."

Tommy's broke into a wide smile, his eyes widening in completely unchecked elation, "You do?" He laughed, more at his own stupid question, "You do...you do, of course you do, oh man!" He suddenly embraced her, quickly checking himself in fear of 'hurting' her in his strong hug, "This is great," he whispered into her ear, still pressing her to him with affection, "…..it will be real nice Arlene, nothing too fancy...ya know just our friends...in a nice little church," he pulled away, still smiling, "But, we'll get you a nice dress...something really pretty...for a beautiful woman," he caressed her cheek, "A nice short ceremony and a big barbeque style reception..."

Tommy wasn't sure why he was so giddy over a wedding, it was more of a woman thing...but he'd thought so much about it and he'd secretly been a little apprehensive to bring up the idea to Arlene. He'd thought about doing the whole traditional thing, down on one knee and everything...but...that just didn't seem right, and he hadn't been able to afford a ring yet, so...it would have been a little bit weird. He thought, maybe bringing it up like this, it would be easier...and it was...even better; Arlene was all for it.

Tommy was still smiling, not able to help himself, "All my friends will insist on coming...and my mother of course...hey," he lit up with an idea, "...you should call your father...'pa'..tell him to come...it'll be great Arlene, a real good time."

Tommy's elation began to rub off on Beatrix and she couldn't help but become elated over the whole aspect of marriage. She had been excited about it to begin with, that was why she complied with the idea. But seeing how Tommy was so fucking happy about it made her even more so. She kept that smile thin but it was slowly widening as she felt more than secure in his embrace. Well, that was until he bought up the subject of 'guests'.

Her smile faltered. "Oh no, Tommy, my pa wouldn't be able to come…" she quickly checked herself to put on a calmer façade. She had become too edgy. She pursed her lips, blue eyes half lidded. "I," she began again more slowly and effectively. "….don't think my pa would be able to get away from the mines. And…he's really hard to get in touch with. He may not even see the invitation until its too late." Her lips curled back into a smile, but blue eyes flickered with a hidden grief. If her supposed 'pa' couldn't come to the wedding she knew she had no one else too invite. Her past couldn't be touched or invited for that matter. So her side of the chapel would be little lonely; it wasn't a big surprise for the blonde.

She decided to switch the subtopic. "A small chapel sounds ideal…but," her demeanor went back to being equally elated. She was quick to brush things off and return to brighter things. "I have to protest to the barbeque reception." She noted Tommy's disappointed expression and quickly added, "I won't have it unless you get someone else to play Barbeque King."

Tommy quickly smiled, "Ohh..no..no..no problem, Jack can be Barbeque

King...or maybe one of my cousins...I have a bunch."

He squeezed her hand, "Ok...so small church...and," he looked a little disappointed, "...well I guess if your pa can't come, I understand." He quickly brightened up, "Don't worry about guest's honey, I bet we can fill that church no problem." Tommy knew Arlene felt a little uncomfortable about her lack of personal contacts, but he was trying hard to make sure his friends were her friends. So far, everybody who'd met her loved her...and he knew that those who came to the wedding would as well.

Tommy sat back, looking very happy about this new turn of events; as if that already wasn't obvious, "I'll call around, find a nice little church here in El Paso, and maybe we can get Janeen, Joleen and Erica to help with invitations and décor and everything." He looked down a little, "We don't have a lot of money to work with...but, I know we can make it real nice." He then turned back to Arlene, "Should take a couple weeks to get everything organized...but..," his hand brushed her soft cheek, "...I hope it doesn't take too long..."

Beatrix smiled warmly and leaned forward to grab at the sheets before settling back down with the covers up to her shoulders. She turned her head to Tommy her eyes glittering with affectionate amusement. He was so damn eager to get the wedding done and over with it was somewhat comical. She was excited too, but unlike her supposed pregnancy with Tommy, the wedding she wanted to take slowly. She wanted simple and nice and she knew he could more than supply that. "It should take a month to prepare for the wedding. That's long enough," she commented lightly.

Lids were slowly beginning to weigh over those blue eyes as the events of her rather 'boring' day were settling in. All she did was work in the store stacking albums and working the register and she felt like she had been whole day. It was probably better that way given her delicate condition. She could tell at times when Tommy was treating her like a glass vase. She fucking hated it, but deep down she was more than thankful. Beatrix knew she could easily kick ass but the pregnancy was beginning to falter that aspect. She was starting to understand what the doctor meant by needing the 'protection' of a man during her pregnancy.

"I'm not buying a dress with a fucking train on it," she suddenly stated sternly but the smile on her face took away from the full impact of it. "Something simple, classic white, a subtle flower print…lace…a veil but one that goes in the back, I hate the idea of something in my face…and…" An idea suddenly sparked and she pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Maybe we should wait till after the baby's born to get married. The dress won't look half as good with a bowling ball right there..." Her hands came to rest on top of her bulging tummy and settled there comfortably. She was half joking on that manner but when she had started picturing her dress the whole aspect of it looking 'pretty' or gorgeous for that matter was dismayed greatly by the realization she'd still be pregnant.

Tommy settled down next to her, pulling the sheet further around them, "God...but Arlene, that means we'll have to wait like eight months to get married. I don't know if I want to wait that long. And besides," he propped himself up again, turning to gaze at her fondly, "You look goddamn beautiful, pregnant or not. I can already picture that dress on you, and believe me...you look like the prettiest woman I've ever seen in it, gorgeous." He smiled sweetly, a hand running through her hair, "Every man at that wedding is going to be thinking to himself...'that is the most beautiful bride I've ever seen'...I'm sure of that honey, so don't you worry about being pregnant, I think it's beautiful."

And Tommy meant every word of that, he was a very sweet and loving person. He didn't lie and he wasn't giving Beatrix a line of bullshit. He just wanted her to be happy and to give her and their baby the best home they could have. He was not self serving nor greedy. He was a good man, a simple man, not an exciting man, not a complicated man and certainly not a dangerous man, but he was a good man. He didn't call her 'baby', he didn't play mind games with her and he wasn't very good at being a smart ass. But, he couldn't fathom being cruel to her, nor hurting her in any way...and most definitely getting any sort of pleasure out of hurting her. Love takes on many forms and it would be foolish to judge that one form was better than the other; it was still love.

He set his head down next to Arlene's, their faces touching. "You look tired honey..." he laid a hand on her sheet covered belly, "...best we all get some sleep...we'll talk about the wedding later..."

Tommy had to admit, he was pretty tired too, and he felt his eyelids quickly grow heavy with exhaustion as he remained nestled next to his future wife.


	13. Chapter 13

Bang!

The man's body fell in mid-step and came to the ground in a bloody heap. Standing a good ten feet away was Aiyana, smoking pistol at her side. She was clad in a pair of khaki sandstorm shaded cargo pants, a lime green t-shirt that was decorated with 'red dots', and a pair of Nike sneakers.

"Goddamn, you don't need any fuckin' babysisters," the gruff voice of Budd said as he stepped over to the brunette after taking down the last target with good old fashioned hand to hand mixed with some kung fu; typical Bill teachings. It had been no less than two days and Bill had already sent the new girl off on an assignment with Budd and Vernita to tag along to baby-sit.

"Fuck, girl why are we even here?" Vernita added her own two cents as she sauntered up next to Budd. She was re-sheathing her combat knife; which before a quick cleaning, had been covered in thick blood.

She gave the brunette a wicked grin, "Yeah, Budd...I'd say she's got a pretty damn good idea about what she's doing." Sure, she and Budd had done their part, but it was mostly to give Aiyana some room to work and show off what she could do. Honestly, she could have taken on this whole gang of untalented idiots herself. Bill had told them to observe Aiyana, and from what they had seen, he was going to get a glowing report.

"That was pretty fucking badass," Vernita continued, folding her arms; which were covered partially in small flecks of blood, "I wish I could shoot like that...I mean, I'm decent, but shit...," she shook her braided head, "Well, let's blow this joint and get back. I'm looking forward to telling Bill about your serious goddamn skills Aiyana," she nodded at the new recruit; obviously impressed.

Within the next two hours the three killers were comfortably seated at the bar in a very typical 'retelling the assignment to Bill' fashion. Budd and Vernita took turns filling in the gaps as they retold the events of the assignment to their boss. Aiyana sat there quietly as if she was going through an evaluation. She had a small smile etched across her fresh features at the continued words of praise she was receiving on her expertise during the assignment.

"She's a fire ball with that fucking gun," Budd said with a more than flattering smile in Aiyana's direction. He crossed his arms on the counter and shifted his brown eyes to Bill. It was obvious Bill had Budd's approval on the new girl, even if it didn't matter, he had it.

Bill listened quietly and without any visible interruption to Budd and Vernita's retelling of events surrounding the assignment. Most of the retelling was very promising flattery towards Aiyana and her skills as an assassin. Bill wasn't all that surprised, but it was nice to hear that she had proved to perform as well as he'd thought. He knew that Budd and Vernita would tell him quite bluntly if they didn't like what they'd seen, so he knew...with such blatant compliments, she'd done one hell of a job.

"Well," he threw his hands up, giving Aiyana a typical half smile/smirk, "...what can I say Miss Espona? You've passed with flying colors thus far." He pointed a finger at her, still smiling, "You get brushed up on those sword skills and your going to be a real force to be reckoned with around here." Of course, Bill wasn't going to give a full ass kissing, but it was obvious that he was impressed.

Vernita was smiling as well, "Damn Bill, I mean...I think she's cool to go out on her own next assignment."

"Hrm, perhaps," Bill leveled a skeptical look at the brunette, weighing the idea.

Vernita only smiled wider. Bill was a hard ass, but she knew...he was very happy with the new recruit. It was at least nice to see him happy about something.

* * *

Beatrix was miserable…well…not technically. Tommy's parents, along with twenty some-odd other family members decided to pay the couple a surprise visit two days later. It seemed Tommy's mother was so ecstatic the musical bunny rabbit worked she couldn't wait to bring Beatrix the other gifts, as well as see the bunny in action. So she took the first flight down from Oklahoma. Numerous other members of Tommy's family such as; uncle, aunt, cousins, second cousins, and extended cousins came along as well. Okay, maybe Beatrix was exaggerating as there were only five people gathered in Tommy's back yard in the mid afternoon dry heat, but it felt like more.

The pregnant blonde lounged in one of the patio chairs surrounded by Tommy's family and numerous brightly colored gifts decorated with vibrant bows. Beatrix found the whole thing sweet and devastating. Perhaps she was just moody, but playing 'innocent angel' was becoming difficult that afternoon. Or perhaps it could have been the anxiety any person feels when meeting the family.

Everyone had been overly nice to Beatrix and she couldn't feel happier to know that she was being accepted. Well, if they didn't accept her, they sure as hell were accepting the baby. During the course of the afternoon she had been coaxed to open numerous baby gifts. This included; bright pink baby clothes, bottles, diapers, a crib, picture frames, photo albums, and toys. Hell, if the baby wanted to pop out right then…she'd be ready.

Finally the gifts winded down and lead into amiable chatting; which Beatrix preferred. So far she had chatted briefly with Tommy's second cousin, first cousin, Uncle, and step-father. She had yet to talk to Tommy's mother whom Bea speculated was keeping an unknown distance. Either way the mommy-to-be was reasonably enjoying herself.

Tommy was loving this, every second of it. Having his mother, step-father, aunt, uncle and his cousin Rob show up...rather unexpendedly had been a really pleasant surprise. They had pulled up, in his step-father's 'road trip van' laden with gifts and wide smiles.

Tommy swore he hadn't stopped smiling for two days straight. He even decided to close up the record store over the weekend, so he could fully enjoy the company of his family.

Tommy's step-father, Richard, was a tall man...almost as tall as his step-son. He had short trimmed silver hair and a neatly cropped beard. A pair of sparkling blue eyes were magnified by his glasses and he seemed just as fond of laughter as his step-son...although, he was somewhat more stoic all around; likely because of his age.

Tommy's uncle and aunt were smaller people. They were very pleasant and a little 'out there' at times, but they seemed to share Tommy's love of music and were pretty 'cool' for 'older' types.

All of them had spoken quite a bit with Tommy's new girlfriend...and as it turns out pregnant bride to be. None of them acted weird about the whole situation and seemed to get along with the tall blonde just fine. They were all fairly easy going people, that much was obvious.

Tommy's mother, Martha, was likewise easy going…even more so than her husband. She was a shorter woman, who obviously used to be a blonde, but now was dying her hair blonde to keep away the increasing grey. She was still fairly slim for her age and was pretty; with cool blue eyes and a nice smile. She dressed casually but nice. Yet, out of all of Tommy's family members she'd yet to really say much to his bride to be. They'd exchanged some small talk, but she'd yet to really connect to Arlene. Tommy had noticed this, but he wasn't he type to bring it up with this mother or Arlene; at least not until the company had left.

Now, as they were all sitting in the backyard of Tommy's small house, the present giving had thankfully died down to friendly casual conversation as they all lounged around amidst the opened baby presents and bright wrappings.

"I tried to get your sister to come," Martha was telling her son, sitting next to him in a lawn chair, an iced tea in her hand, "But you know how she is Tommy, all into her art...she had an opening this weekend and couldn't spare even a minute to get away. We even offered to take the long route and pick her up."

Tommy waved a hand, "Don't worry about it mom, I know how Claire is...I won't take it personally." He was currently sitting next to Arlene; their lawn chairs close to one another. Every now and then, Tommy would reach over and squeeze Arlene's slim hand. He was sweet like that.

"Oh hey Tommy," Rob his cousin, a younger brown haired man near Tommy's age spoke up, "...Jen was going to come...but she got the flu."

Tommy's aunt and uncle exchanged glances. Obviously Jen was a 'friend' of their son Rob's whom they were somewhat glad had fallen ill.

"Hey, no worries Rob," Tommy smiled.

"But, just look at you Tommy...your hair," Martha broke in, "...I don't know son...it's somewhat strange. Don't you think Richard?" She addressed her husband.

Richard just shrugged, "It's fine. Leave him alone Martha...he's not a boy anymore."

Martha pressed her lips together, "I don't know, Arlene...I'd make that son of mine cut that mop before you two get married..."

"Mom..." Tommy sighed, giving Arlene a side glance.

"Alright, alright," Martha threw up her hands. She stood up, "Well, I'm going to go make some more tea...Arlene, could you show me where the things are..."

Tommy started to get up, "Mom, let me show you...Arlene might no-"

"No….no," Martha waved him away, "Let Arlene help me...the poor thing has been stuck in that chair for hours. I remember what it's like to be pregnant...sometimes you need to get the blood flowing."

"It's fine, Tommy. We'll be right back." Beatrix gave a reassuring squeeze to Tommy's hand before hoisting herself up. She didn't so much need to get the blood flowing, but her ass felt as numb as hell and that had to go. Following Martha through the patio doors and into the kitchen helped that factor. Actually she was glad to get up and about, and this left her to 'bond' with Tommy's mother.

Upon entering the kitchen Beatrix went straight for the cupboard and took out the rather extravagant selection of teas. Tommy liked tea, and while Beatrix was partial to coffee the doctor told her to hold back on her intake; which was really fucking hard. "Pick what you'd like," the tall blonde motioned to the tray now set on the counter top "…and I'll put up a fresh pot of water."

So far Martha remained a mute as Beatrix turned the faucet on and began to fill up the tea pot with tap water.

Martha watched the tall blonde closely; a calm but not unfriendly expression on her face, as the young pregnant woman opened the cupboard. "Actually, my dear...I was hoping for iced tea," she shook her empty glass with its remainder of ice cubes at the bottom, "but," she smiled quickly, "….hot tea sounds quite nice."

Silently, she went about leafing through the tea packets, as Arlene was putting the water on the stove.

"You know...Arlene," Martha finally spoke up into the somewhat tense silence...she turned to look at the young woman, "...I've had two children, and my job as a social worker has allowed me to be around pregnant women quite often." She paused, obviously trying to pick her words carefully, "Tommy tells me you are about only eight weeks pregnant," her blue eyes flicked to Arlene's swelling stomach, "...but, my dear, you're at least three months...possibly more...I can just tell by looking at you." As she said this, her voice dropped to a more private tone.

She continued to gaze somewhat intensely at Arlene; her fingernails fiddling with the corner of tea packet in her hands. "My son is a sweet man, I don't think he has a mean spirited bone in his body," she nearly whispered now, and there was no missing the tone of threat in her voice as she continued, "...I would hope...that you are not planning on making a fool out of my boy Arlene. Because, being a mother, something you will understand quite soon, and seeing your child hurt is the last thing you would wish in this world." She took just the slightest step forward, as she met Arlene's gaze head on, "I don't want him hurt...nor lied to..."

Beatrix froze at her place near the stove. Somehow, deep down she knew that someone would notice; she had just been hoping no one would. She kept the older woman's gaze but it was far from intense. In such a situation Beatrix didn't feel she had to defend herself, because she knew what she was doing was right. She wasn't ashamed of it and she wasn't hurting anybody.

Her arms casually crossed over her chest and her demeanor remained docile. "Mrs. Plympton," the blonde began in a gently leveled tone. "I love and care very deeply for Tommy and the last thing I would want to do is make a fool out of him. I couldn't think of hurting him….but…in order to not subject him to pain I need to lie." Her tone took on a more ominous and equally serious tone, but her bright blue eyes held a softer composure as to not alarm the woman.

The tall blonde knew she'd have to elaborate and tell the truth if she wanted to keep the cat in the bag; so to speak. "You're right, your son is the sweetest man I have ever met, which…..is saying a lot when compared to the men I've been with." Her lips curved into an eerily amused twist. "Since we're going on a mother to mother basis, you'll have to understand that I'm doing this in the best interest of my daughter."

"By lying to my son?" Martha's voice raised a few octaves as she cut in, but she quickly gained control over herself and took a few steps back. She regarded the tall blonde for a few long seconds. "I don't like what your doing," she finally said, "…and I don't like that you're doing it to my son...out of all the men in the world you could have chosen to do this to...," she took a deep breath, "But, I can see you care for him...even if I completely disagree with what your doing. It's not my place to tell him," she pointed a parental finger, "...but, if I were you my dear, I'd tell him. He's a sweet man, but he's not a weak one...he can handle it. And lies within a marriage will only lead to trouble soon enough, mark my words."

She crossed her arms and shook her head, "I'm sorry Arlene, but my child takes precedence of your own in my mind. And...I don't know the story of where you really came from or…who this baby's real father is, nor do I want to know...but the way you speak...well," she took another shaky breath, "It makes me a little frightened for the safety of Tommy and I don't like that."

Martha then uncrossed her arms, a sense of finality in her gesture, "You're a grown woman Arlene, I'm not your mother...and it's not my place to tell you what to do. But, I want to make it clear that I will not be on your side on this. I will be friendly to you...because Tommy cares for you so, but I'm not going to be much more than that...knowing what you're doing to my son...I cannot help it." She lifted her chin, "And...this child...well, she will be no granddaughter of mine."

Martha moved over to the stove, lifting off the boiling pot of water and poured it into a mug, "And," she cast a look at Arlene, "...if you really loved my son, which I question, than you would tell him the truth...you owe him that much." With that, she picked up the tea bag she'd left on the counter and walked out of the kitchen.

Beatrix was horrified, she felt as if a knife stabbed through her heart and she knew from experience how shitty that felt. It could have been the fact that Beatrix had such a fucked up childhood and her mother had been far from caring; that made what Martha said hit so hard. Beatrix never had much luck when it came to mother-figures and after leaving her own mother she never sought out a replacement. Father-figures were a completely different area.

The tall blonde turned and blue eyes now void cast to watch as the steam began to steadily rise from the hole in the tea pot. She knew that lying to Tommy was wrong as much as it was right. She wasn't being selfish, she was protecting Tommy. No one seemed to understand her side of why she was doing this…it was protection from the harsh world she left. If anything happened…well…she was dead…you can't find the dead.

The water continued to boil and the steam that was rising gave off a high pitched whistle. Long white fingers wrapped around the handle and she set the tea pot onto the cooler burner. But as she was doing this task she surely wasn't paying attention or she wouldn't have burnt herself like she just had. "Fuck," she swore sharply but quietly to not alarm those outside. The tea pot hit the stove with a loud thud, but luckily didn't spill.

She immediately moved over to the sink and ran her wounded finger under a stream of cold water. It hurt like a bitch, a really bad bitch. Those blue eyes began to turn glossy. A fucking third degree burn shouldn't hurt so bad, but it obviously wasn't the burn that hurt the most. She couldn't tell Tommy the truth, she just couldn't. She was afraid of what he'd think, how'd he react, and what would happen to the future she was so hoping to achieve for her baby. She couldn't tell him the truth not just because she was a pathological liar, but also due to the fact it was dangerous. She'd have to explain about the real father, and that'd seep into her guarded past.

Her finger continued to throb and the prominent red mark was clashing with her ivory coated skin. She ripped her finger away from the water and turned the faucet off. Quick steps brought the tall blonde over to the freezer; which she opened. The cool gust of air hit her face causing eyes to squint. "Fuck it," she muttered and in a somewhat hostile manner stuck half her arm inside and settled it there. Her body leaned against the side and her pretty blonde head tilted to rest almost comfortably against the open freezer door. Her façade remained heartrending.

After having delivered that rather brutal little message to Arlene, Martha returned to the backyard smiling and acting like nothing had happened. But, inside, she was irate...and she kept glancing at her poor son; desperately wanting to tell him what she'd just discovered about his wife to be. Yet, she knew she wouldn't...as she'd said, it wasn't her place. Arlene and Tommy were two adults, and they needed to work it out between themselves; she just prayed to God her son did not get too hurt in the process.

Arlene had yet to emerge and when Tommy inquired to where she might be, Martha lightly told him she must be taking care of 'female matters', since they tripled when one was pregnant. That stopped Tommy's curiosity in its tracks. Even his step-father made a face.

"So, how's the store doing Tommy?" Rob asked as the family continued to chat in the dry afternoon sun.

"Just fine," Tommy replied, "Business is a little slow right now...but nothing I'm not used to. It goes through phases, great months...mediocre months...and a couple really bad ones. But," he shrugged, taking a sip from his beer, "...it all ends up evening out in the end."

"Are you carrying CD's yet?" Tommy's uncle asked with a little smirk.

"Not yet Uncle Joe," Tommy smiled back with amusement. This little joke had been running between the two of them for a number of years. Joe was horrified that Tommy only carried records; always reminding him what decade it currently was.

"Not even tapes?" Joe continued.

Tommy shook his blonde head, "Nope…..records only...some people actually enjoy the novelty of a record ya know, and it's well known that analog sound is far more pure than digital sound."

"Bah," Joe waved a hand, "I can't stick a record in my car deck now can I?"

Tommy shrugged, "Can't please 'em all Uncle Joe."

"Well, I think it's cool," young Rob piped up; doing anything to contradict his father, "Tommy even gave me a couple extra records he had laying around...Metallica's Ride The Lightning and...ACDC's Back in Black."

"Oh boy...," Aunt Cindy, Joe's wife, rolled her eyes in the direction of her frowning husband, "Can't wait to hear those blaring out from the basement."

"Those are classic," Tommy retorted.

"Not in our house," Joe shook his head, "Now...give my boy some Jefferson Airplane or Styx albums and I'd be ok with that.."

Rob looked horrified, "No way..."

Tommy just laughed, "Hey," he stood suddenly, "...I think I'm going to try to find Arlene." He wasn't sure why, but he just felt like he should go and find her. Climbing through the wrapping and mounds baby stuff, he entered the house through the sliding patio door.

"Arlene?" he called; turning towards the kitchen and blinking his eyes to adjust to the darker lighting of the house, "Everything all right honey?"

Upon hearing Tommy Beatrix jerked her arm out of the freezer and shut it. The last thing she needed to do was explain why she was lounging in front of the freezer with her arm concealed inside; at least she didn't have to stick her whole head in. A bitter chill ran up her spine as she hugged herself to warm up. Perhaps the freezer hadn't been the best choice, but it did help soothe her finger burn and the swelling would be hardly as bad now.

As she turned to meet Tommy her composure completely switched. Her façade took on a lighter tone, but it was hard to shake the distress in those blue eyes; especially with the red puffiness. When Tommy came over to her the tall blonde immediately came in and leaned against him, resting her head against his shoulder. "Everything's fine," she muttered not all that convincing. She cursed herself mentally for her futile attempt of switching tracks. But she knew how to cover it up without much suspicion.

She tilted her head up to him and put on a thin smile. "I'm not feeling that well….too much excitement for one day. I'm going to go lay down…Would you thank everyone again for the visit and gifts, for me?"

Tommy wasn't all that fooled...he could tell something was wrong with Arlene. He wasn't an expert at reading human emotions, but he knew people well enough to know when something was really bugging somebody and they tried to futilely cover it up.

He looked down at the blonde with a somewhat skeptical look. But, he wasn't going to try to ask her what was really wrong, she would talk to him about it later if she really felt like it. And maybe she was right...she did look a little pale and tired. It had been a hot day, and a long weekend.

"Ok," he said after a moment, in a soft tone, his hand rubbing her back, "...I'll let them know." He offered a sweet smile, "They all love you...I knew they would."

Lying his hands on her shoulders, he leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead, "Go lay down...don't worry about anything, I'll take care of it." He pulled away, still giving her a tender look; a hint of skepticism still lingering, "I'll come in and check on you in awhile alright?"

Reluctantly, he walked away and strolled back out into the bright backyard sun.


	14. Chapter 14

Within the characteristic atmosphere of Bill's Oriental garden with the fountains and exotic plants stood Aiyana. Her slender form was adorned with a pair of dusty blue sweat pants, matching tank top, and a pair of white sneakers. Her sun-kissed toned skin was already layered with a sheet of sweat and her chest heaved at a recovering rate.

For the past hour she had been training with Bill. It had mostly been sharpening her hand to hand combat, and he had shown her some awesome kung fu moves that she usually wouldn't think to use or learn for combat. Either way, she was enthusiastic to learn new things. Her only regret was that when Bill chose to 'demonstrate' the move for her…that usually led to her being the 'prop'.

Well, so far so good and Aiyana was catching on quickly; as had been stated in her interview she was a fast and tactful learner.

Bill slowly and silently strolled around on the cobblestones of the courtyard; subconsciously or not, circling the young brunette as they both took an agreed upon a moment to catch their breath before returning to the afternoon's training session.

While Aiyana had certainly broken out in a sweat, Bill was only showing minor signs of exertion, betrayed by the slight gleam on his high forehead and the somewhat unnatural clinging of the classic goldish/brown silk Chinese kung fu shirt he was wearing. Along with the loose black slacks, long hair blowing in the afternoon breeze and bare feet, he was appearing as typical Bill completely in his element.

Of course, Aiyana had broken far more of a sweat because; thus far she'd played the attacker for the most part. Bill's personal kung fu fighting style involved quite allot of holds and throwing; something Aiyana was quickly figuring out. Being the 'attacker' for Bill was not exactly a pleasant experience, as any of his trainees would tell you, but so far Aiyana was holding her own very well. One complaint, whimper or tear from her...and Bill would have taken full advantage of it and doubled his brutal efforts to fully break her. Luckily, Aiyana was made of tougher stuff.

Finally, ending his prowl, Bill stopped a few feet in front of Aiyana. He leveled a sharp look at her; looking deathly serious. "Alright, Miss Espona...let's take somewhat of a break from hand to hand for a moment shall we. You have some work to do in that category, but I feel your competent enough that we can move on for now."

He turned and strolled over to the rack of training swords, the one in front of the storage shed, and removed a wooden broadsword. "This," he turned back to her, sword in hand, "...is a typical Wu Shu blade...it's a broadsword, Chinese in origin." He raised a brow, "The actual bladed version is far more beautiful of course, but...we'll start with wood for now." He tossed the training blade at her, which was caught with expertise.

Turning back to the sword rack, he removed an identical wooden broadsword, "Personally, I prefer the Japanese katana to the Chinese broadsword, but...the katana is much more challenging in my opinion. So," he once again faced her, sword in hand, "...we'll start with this...and then move onto the katana."

Bill held the sword out in front of him with one hand, "This weapon tends to be used one handed…although two can be used, and is traditionally used along with kung fu striking techniques. Thus," he took a step towards her, spinning the handle in his hand, "...I want you to throw in some of those things I just showed you as you use the sword. And," a smirk touched his face, "...while, I will attack you fairly slowly...I will give you a heads up," he leveled the tip of the blade at her, looking intensely down the blade, "...I am equally left handed as I am right."

With that, he took a quick and brutal swing at her head.

That wasn't a heads up, it was more of a heads down but Aiyana managed not to get herself whacked in the head with a wooden sword. She popped back up and countered Bill's attack with a block. Bill broke out of the block and came at her with skillful batch of basic swings which if they were real would have been directed for mutilating various body parts. The brunette dodged most of these and clashed swords a few times.

She wasn't completely untrained, and knew the basics when it came too sword play but she was far from proficient. During the course of their training introduction Aiyana tended to use both hands even though Bill specifically told her this sword often required only one hand. It was a horrible trait brought on by seeing too many cheesy-American sword fighting flicks. Well, this was fixed by a few hard whacks to her knuckles and she eventually caught on or got sick of the red stinging pain that was clashing with her sun glossed skin tone.

All in all she wasn't doing terribly for a first time training session.

Bill gave Aiyana's knuckles one last whack as she accidentally put her other hand on the hilt of the sword again. He would keep doing that until they bled to the bone if he had to...but luckily for her she was catching onto the mistake and doing it far less frequently.

"Chinese sword, Miss Espona," Bill said with staccato between intakes of breath, "Not Japanese sword." He emphasized this with another whack on her knuckles, even though she was using the weapon properly at the moment.

Looking intensely ferocious, Bill took a sidestep around her and seamlessly switched his sword hand from right to left...making his first point finally relevant. "Heads up Miss Espona," he said; the mere tone of his voice betraying the fact that he was currently smirking. The sneaky maneuver gave him a wide opportunity, and...as Bill always did, he took advantage of it.

Using the wide flat side of the wooden blade he smacked her right on the side of the head, bringing the blade around he then gave the back of her knees a similar strike. This had a tendency to make people drop to their knees, and when Aiyana lost to gravity and naturally did this, Bill stepped on the back of her left calf with a strongly gripping bare foot; pinning her down in that position.

"Now," he breathed, catching his breath, as he looked down at her with sadistic amusement, "...this would be the opportune moment to use the sword two handed." He raised a brow, "Decapitation, Miss Espona," he hefted the weapon two handed, "….don't underestimate it's effectiveness." His smirk widened, "Heads off..."

Of course, Bill was being coy, a smart ass. He was fucking around with her...mainly to get a rise out of her, to see what her limits were. He found anger in battle to be a potent but often double edged sword; pardon the pun. She could physically fight just fine, but was she mentally there? That was the question of the moment.

Aiyana was down on her knees with hands clenched tight on the handle of her wooden sword that had done little to aid her in avoiding her current situation. She learned a few potent lessons in those few minutes. One; Bill was a cruel and highly unfair teacher. Second; he was a bastard, but she had heard rumors of that as it went along with Bill's infamous reputation. Third; she fucking hated using a sword, she always had. It was far from her weapon of choice.

Now, Aiyana was a very well put together killer. She had been on numerous lone-ranger assignments that required deadly accuracy too survive. She may not have been as put together or 'born' to kill as some killers but she enjoyed her profession, performed well, and was content with her life style. There wasn't much else to keep a killer mentally stable. Thus, Bill's attempt at decapitating the brunette didn't work.

With her own sword in both hands she swung it around to connect to his side in a harsh thawp. This made the man stumble and gave her enough time to bring her leg out and trip him the rest of the way to the ground. She quickly jumped too her feet and positioned the point of the wooden blade near his jugular vein. Her expression fierce and flushed but she was a mute; not one to give smart ass or witty remarks.

Bill's frown slowly turned into a wide, amused and typically brash grin as he squinted up at the brunette. The tip of her wooden blade was still pressed up against his jugular; perhaps the ultimate killing point. "Much better," he said, not without some genuine flattery, still smiling. "And then you might ask yourself, how would I get out of this perilous position?" He continued with a touch of dramatic flair in his voice. He paused, the smile dropping, "I don't...I'm dead." He stared at her intensely for a few long seconds and then rolled out from underneath the weapon.

Standing up, and brushing himself off, he motioned to the sword in Aiyana's hand, "Here...give me that," he took the practice weapon and along with his own put them back into the rack.

Very well. Miss Espona was proving she could handle a few cheesy taunts. She was staying calm under pressure and relentless unfair treatment on his part. He'd talked down to her, and she was keeping cool...he'd put her in a fairly compromising and demeaning position and she'd gotten out of it. So far so good. He wasn't doing any of these things by happenstance. He knew her credentials, and now...put to the test, she was proving their presence rather well.

Bill surveyed the sword rack with a frown, "I don't know about you Miss Espona," he murmured as he continued to scrutinize the weapons, "But, I'm feeling a little on the risky side of things today," a comment that was actually pretty amusing coming from Bill...at least, he thought it was amusing. With that, he yanked out two bladed katanas from the rack. Duel high pitched rings echoed throughout the courtyard.

He brought them over to her, eyes downcast on the weapons, "These aren't fully sharpened, nor are they even remotely close to the craftsmanship of a Hanzo sword," of course, Aiyana knew of the infamous sword maker, "...but..," he hefted them, one in each hand, "...they are still Japanese steel..." He regarded the duel slightly curved blades for a long moment; obviously a man who was into his swords. They looked virtually identical, which in fact they were, despite different tooling styles on the handles.

Eyes falling back on the brunette, Bill handed her one of the swords, handle first. He then took a step back, getting a good two handed grip on the sword he'd left for himself. Bill could tell, just by weight of the sword, that this was no Hanzo blade. It was somewhat annoying, but he wasn't ready to have Aiyana go up against a Hanzo blade. All in due time.

"Alright Miss Espona," he regarded her, blade in front of his face, "...slow methodic movements at first. And, my first rule...a blade doesn't mean a goddamn thing without good footwork..." He vaguely remembered telling Beatrix the exact same thing...five years ago.

Blinking away that memory, he took a quick step towards the brunette.

Aiyana regarded the blade in hand with hesitation. When he had inclined he wanted to take a risk was he pertaining to the risk of her own well being or his? It was hard too tell. Even the dull sharpness of the blade could bring forth injury and if used skillfully enough and with the right talent it could be just as deadly as any sharp blade. She was terribly inexperienced. It wasn't that she was afraid of getting hurt, because she knew she would, but more so the fact that if she was wounded it would only show her distain and incapable techniques when it came to sword play.

Either way, she wasn't going to drop the katana and tell her boss she couldn't do it. Her hands flexed on the blade and she in took a sharp breath of air through her nose out her mouth; which was formed in a determined line.

She took a step towards him and held the blade out in front of her ready to block or bring forth any attacks. At the moment she wasn't concerned about her foot work. She knew she'd use her feet. She wasn't the type to stand there and wave the blade around like it was a fucking flag. They'd move and in time she'd move with more of a purpose. The brunette did take Bill's advice however and started with swift slashes against his own. The blades clashed and sent off a methodic ringing on contact, but not to the extent if the blades were clashed at a higher speed. These movements were 'slow motion' type after all, and the best way to get the feel of the blade. So far her slashes were 'decent', like any novice it could use work. She took another step forward and this time switched her slash to aim lower at her opponent's body.

In Bill's mind there were basically two objectives to training. One, the main objective, was to become proficient enough to not get oneself killed by others and to be able to kill those others with accuracy and proficiency. This objective was something of a no brainier, and while it certainly required some talent. Obviously not every person born could be trained to be a killer, yet...it still could be taught. It was matter of muscle, memory, and practice, not unlike a well trained solder. Bill had been taught, and he in turn had taught others. It was the classic teacher/student situation.

The second objective was a little harder to explain and grasp. It was reaching for that...'other', that indefinable style...a 'mojo' of sorts. It was what separated your run of the mill assassin from a truly unforgettable one. It was a kind of panache that made a killer hard to forget. Every person expressed this in a different way, as each person was an original entity. But, it was being able to reach in and grasp at this inner self that was often difficult to attain. Beatrix Kiddo had been a woman oozing with this 'killer style' and Bill knew that was what had initially drawn him to her...on multiple levels. Bill felt he had attained this second objective years ago...he had his own style, it was his and his alone.

And thus, he had high expectations for those who worked for him. He wanted each of them to find this 'killer nirvana', but he knew it was not always capable. Thus, he knew Aiyana was more than able to fulfill the first objective. She was capable and professional...she was a quick learner, sharp and confident. But, he was still looking for that second objective. He was trying to catch a glimpse of it as they exchanged sword strikes and parries.

What he could see was her determination to perform something she was not entirely sure of herself to be able to do. Bill respected that. Determination would eventually bring proficiency, if one possessed the talent that is.

Bill blocked Aiyana's lower intended strike; easily stepping out of the way. He took a slow slash of his own at her...which, surprisingly she blocked fairly decently. Of course, this was all at a very depressed speed. The speed at which two practiced swordfighters tended to proceed at was often at a dizzying capacity. Not only that, there were all sorts of 'dirty tricks' that could be thrown in, something Bill was quite proficient at and very fond of. But, again...something Aiyana wasn't quite ready for yet.

Bringing his blade up again in a wide arc, he met with Aiyana's strong parry, he gave her a flash of a pleased smile, "Not bad, Miss Espona, not bad...but, let's step it up a bit." He then sped up his attacks, driving her backwards. But she managed to keep blocking the gradually speedier strikes...although by the look on her face, she wasn't exactly enjoying it.

Bill continued this slow ascent in speed. He was going to drive her to her limit. He'd used this tactic before and it often produced surprising results. It was under the pressure of potential harm and the adrenaline rush of speed that an unsure individual would often perform far better than they thought capable.

At this point, Bill was beginning to sweat more than he preferred to, but he was too intent to take the time to wipe any of it away. Aiyana likewise held an expression of extreme concentration, as he continued to up the ante and she was in turn forced to compensate.

And then, he saw it...she came too close to missing a block...she'd reached her limit. Stopping, in a sudden motion, Bill froze. Aiyana's heels were a few inches from the precipice of the courtyard stairs. He jabbed the tip of the katana in-between two cobblestones at his feet and crossed his arms.

"Very good," he pushed hair out of his face, taking a moment to clear away beads of sweat, "You see, Miss Espona, I think you are far more capable with a blade than you realize..."

Aiyana was taking in gasps of air, her chest heaving in and out. She clenched tight to the sword in her sweaty palms as if she still had to defend herself, even though Bill had long since ceased his strikes. She gave him a weary smile and her hands eased off the handle to hold it at more comfortable grip. She hadn't expected it to turn that intense, nor did she appreciate it, but she knew that intense battle was the only way to learn.

She had easily gained that first objective. She was skilled enough with the sword to not get herself killed but to create substantial injuries in return. If she was put up against a 'master' swordsman than she'd most likely be killed, but when it came to the basics she had it.

As for the second, she had a style, it was a beginner's style that would soon work into her own, but it was hardly nirvana. Everything came with enough practice and determination, which she certainly wasn't lacking. She used the back of her hand to wipe away beads of sweat trailing down her facial features and collecting around her collar bone. "Perhaps," she commented after regaining her breath. "I certainly haven't been taught by anyone like…that." That could have been taken as a compliment towards Bill, but she wasn't a complete suck up.

Bill smiled at the compliment, always one to willingly take a stroke to his ego. "You will find, Miss Espona, that I have my own way of doing things." Bill's 'way of doing things' often included scaring the shit out of somebody to get them to perform beyond their means. It worked, but wasn't the most mentally healthy path out there. But, Aiyana was not the type to get easily scared or intimidated, and he liked those qualities. She did what she had to do, to survive and to succeed...thus why she'd managed to block every one of Bill's increasingly faster attacks. He was still a little iffy on her style and she was no expert sword fighter...yet. But…overall, he was pleased with her progress.

"I think that's enough for today Miss Espona," he spoke up, brushing more sweaty hair out of his face. Likewise, the brunette looked like she'd gotten a good work out. Bill had to admit, he was glad to get back to a good routine of physical exercise after nearly a month of his own physical neglect and chronic substance abuse.

He yanked the katana out from the cobblestones, and then taking Aiyana's own blade, returned them to rack. They descended the stone steps from the courtyard, Bill waving for Aiyana to follow him inside.

Once they got into the kitchen, he opened the refrigerator and handed Aiyana a large bottled water. Taking one for himself, he then sat down at the bar.

"So, Aiyana," without even realizing it Bill had called the brunette by her first name for the first time, "...how do you feel you did today?"

Aiyana hardly noticed that Bill had called her by her first name, and if she did notice she was secretly glad he had. That meant he was growing more used to her presence. She slugged down quenching gulps of water from the water bottle, popped the top from her lips and settled the bottle on the counter. Her thin shaped eyebrows furrowed in momentary though to the posed question.

"I believe I did alright. I'll admit I don't like the sword but I'll try to make sure my disliking for the blade doesn't affect my potential to learn." She lifted her water as if debating whether to take another drink before adding to her thoughts, "I would have liked to have preformed better…but…" a small shrug of the shoulders. "What can you do?" She gulped down another helping of water.

"You can practice," Bill replied with a raised brow, taking a long sip out of his own water bottle. "But," he started once again as he set his bottle down, "...I think you preformed perfectly fine given your limited experience with bladed weapons. You can't expect to like every form of assassination." Actually, when Bill thought about it, there really wasn't one form of assassination that he didn't like. There were certain ways he liked to kill over others...but, honestly he really was a fan of everything. This fact didn't exactly improve Bill's position as a caring human being...but, he wasn't doing all that well in that category anyways.

He regarded the brunette over the expanse of the countertop, "Next time we'll take a further step with weaponry and styles. But," he leaned back," in the meantime I'd say your perfectly capable to go solo on assignments from now on." He offered her a tight smile, "And you and a gun are a deadly combination, Miss Espona...use that to your full advantage. Part of being an effective killer is using every asset you have to your advantage...," he trailed off, waving a hand dismissively, realizing he'd gone into 'lecture' mode.

"Well," he slid off the barstool, "….either way...I'm confident you can fly solo from now on."

* * *

Pretty pastels and white glowing lights made up the color scheme of the familiar hospital waiting room. The blonde couple sat on the far from comfy chairs surrounded by other various couples who were either expecting or had an inpatient child clinging to their hip. Beatrix was exhausted. Her usually white complexion was far whiter and clammy with glazed blue eyes. Her whole demeanor was due to the long hours of work and the fact they had to make an emergency doctor's run.

The emergency wasn't bad but it wasn't good. Towards the later hours in the record store Beatrix had noticed her stomach was hurting and it wasn't the usual morning sickness. When she went to the restroom she had a rather unpleasant and perhaps heart attack inducing surprise. She had bleed. Just a little but it was there. Now usually blood was a fickle thing to Beatrix but considering things she wasn't reacting well. Either way she put on her 'mask', stayed calm, and went to the doctor with Tommy for support.

It turned out to be nothing. Doctor Herman ensured sometimes it happened and that the baby was perfectly fine and healthier than ever. He recommended Beatrix taking it easy for the next few days and adjusts some of her diet but other than that she'd fine.

Now they were in the waiting room awaiting the results of a blood test before they could leave. The tall blonde had her head resting on Tommy's shoulder aimlessly watching the people in the room. She felt numb, unsure, and hormonal; she wanted to get the fuck out of there.

"Miss Machiavelli," the nurse from behind the desk spoke up from across the way. "Everything is perfectly fine. You are free to go home."

It had taken Tommy the entire time...during the doctor's visit, and the wait after the visit just to calm down enough to sit still. He had been in a controlled state of panic. Arlene had been very calm about the whole thing, but he couldn't' help but become overly worried about the whole thing. What if she'd lost the baby? What if something had been wrong with her? He couldn't even bare the thought now; he was too attached. But nothing was wrong; he had to keep reminding himself of that. Both Arlene and the baby were just fine. And now the nurse's further reassurance made him calm down even further. He flashed the nurse a tight but well meaning smile at her words.

Turning to the blonde, he rubbed her shoulder, "It's ok honey," he said softly; feeling the need to repeat basically what the nurse had just said. "Let's go home...get you rested up..." He helped her to her feet; feeling more protective than ever. She looked pale, and tired. He put a strong arm around her waist as the two of them crossed the waiting room for the wide glass doors.

A round friendly looking woman with three small crying children in tow was coming in the doors just as they were leaving. She flashed the tall blonde couple a wide gleaming smile; easily totting along her wailing kids...as if she didn't even notice the drama anymore. "Oh yes," she beamed knowingly as they passed by the couple, "...you're looking very healthy...I'd say...five or so months along?"

Beatrix's blonde head snapped up. It took her about five seconds to realize what just happened. She let out an uneasy laugh and shook her head. "No, I'm only twelve weeks," she clarified in the nicest tone she could muster. This was trying her nerves. Tommy was right there, beside her, listening to everything this nosey shit assed woman said and Beatrix tried her hardest to keep the flash in those blue eyes as genial as possible.

The woman replied with a shrill little laugh; still smiling, "Oh no..no...if you're only twelve weeks, then I think you'll be having triplets!" She laughed again; still wheeling her brood of children with her, "You're a good five months honey...if I've ever seen five months...and believe me, I have...three times!" She laughed...once again; pushing along quickly. "Well now, good luck to you two, and...those triplets! Hah, you're gunna need it!" She offered once last smile and laugh before moving into the waiting room.

Tommy had been by Arlene's side during that exchange, quiet; his brows knitted slightly. He hardly ever frowned, but the faint downward tilt of his mouth was noticeably there now. "Come on honey," he said under his breath; in an uncharacteristically serious tone as he continued to help her out and across the parking lot. He helped Arlene into his car; which was fixed now. It was a '89 Honda Civic, hardly flashy.

Coming around to the driver's side, he got in; still stoic and started up the car without a word. It was obvious something was now bothering him...something that went beyond the scare that had gotten them to the office to begin with.

He drove in silence for a few moments before turning to glance at Arlene, "I think we need to talk..."

Beatrix couldn't describe what she was feeling right then because she never ever wanted to feel like that. She was scared. It wasn't noticeable by her demeanor which remained void or a touch placid but by those blue eyes. Tommy knew or was at least suspicious. It was too much. Tommy's mother, that woman at the office, everything that was suspicious to begin with it all came together. She couldn't lie out of this one because the truth was becoming painfully too real.

Her lips pursed to hold back a wave of emotion and she began to nod her head very, very slowly. "Yes," she finally replied sounding much more passive than intended. How could she do this? How could she tell Tommy the baby wasn't his? How could she jeopardize the well being of her baby? How could she do this to such a…good man?

She had to play this right, she had to word it carefully, she had to mix in more lies but she had to make him believe her. Her next set of words came out hesitantly and soft, "I'm a…bad person."

Tommy almost pulled the car over right then and there, but instead he just turned and stared at Arlene; wide eyed and momentarily silent. That obviously had taken him a little by surprise.

"No...oh no no...Arlene, you're not a bad person...not at all," his tone was kind and utterly sincere. He reached out and rubbed her shoulder. "Don't ever say that..." He looked completely in disarray just to hear those words come out of her mouth. "...please..."

He turned back to the road, "It's ok...it's alright," he seemed to be reassuring himself more than anybody, "We'll talk about this...and we'll work it out honey..." He swallowed. Inwardly, Tommy was in somewhat of a state of turmoil. His growing suspicions were now coming to fruition, and he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the truth. Yet, he knew...he knew he and Arlene had to bring this out in the open. It had just been waiting in the wings to be brought up, and now...there was no escaping it.

Blinking a few times, Tommy continued driving, falling back into a lapse of heavy silence. He didn't appear angry, but more...confused and hurt than anything. He wasn't upset with Arlene, and he hated to hear her berate herself like that. He couldn't think badly of her...could he?

Once they'd pulled into the driveway, Tommy went around and helped Arlene out of the car. They quickly went inside. Finally safely inside the solitude of Tommy's small house, he sat down heavily on the couch; watching the tall blonde with a pair of quizzical blue eyes. He'd never been very good with the whole 'couples talking' thing and this was an especially hard topic to open up. He felt awkward.

"Look...Arlene," he began slowly; large hands gripping onto his kneecaps, "...all...I want to know...is the real truth. I'm...I'm not mad...OK...I just want to know..."

"The real truth?" The tall distraught blonde muttered in a repeat to herself. 'My name really isn't Arlene Machiavelli, I really was an assassin, who feel in love with my boss, got pregnant, and ran away.' No, that wouldn't work even if it was the real truth.

She sat on the far end of the couch away from him, hands settled at her side, her body straight if not too tight in posture. Beatrix was still scared but now it was growing into fear. Fear that if she didn't word this correctly she could lose Tommy. He'd hate her, leave her because of the lie she tried to make him believe. He couldn't leave her…it was unfathomable. Everything she had worked up to, everything she wanted for her baby would be ruined. She couldn't raise a child by herself…well she could if she had too but she didn't want too. She needed Tommy.

"I…" the words formed but her lips wouldn't move. Blue eyes gave him a weary side glance. Dammit, she had to stop acting like a scared little girl and just get it out. Maybe it'd be okay... Her chin tilted up and blue eyes finally locked on him. "I'm five…almost six months pregnant." That was a start. Her lips worked slowly, "It wasn't a planned pregnancy…and he…wasn't a father…so I left." Details down to a minimum. She had to work this safely for her own as well as Tommy's protection. "…And I came here…and I met you and everything happened so fast…I…" she trailed off in a moment to regain her emotional control. The gloss in those blue eyes was real. She was upset about this to a point of emotional pain, something she always tried to hide but this time she wasn't going to hide it because needless to say she could use it to her advantage.

Her tone lowered, "I shouldn't have lied to you…"

Tommy took it all pretty well; considering.

He listened quietly; watching Arlene with an open expression that was both earnest and tinged with hurt. His hands clasped a little tighter onto his knees, but he did not move. He was not a man of extreme negative reactions. After she had finished he made a small noise in that back of this throat that was somewhat indiscernible.

Then, he turned his head away from her; eyes on the far wall. He sat like that for a good long tense minute. Finally he spoke. "I think I knew...," he began; voice soft but certainly full of pain, "...I think I knew from the start, but...ya know, I just wanted to believe...so much...that it was mine. Even my mother...she hinted at it when she was here, and I didn't want to believe her." He turned to look at her again; eyes frosty with emotion, "God Arlene, I wish you'd told me from the start." His expression became more beseeching, "You know I would still have...still loved you, and the baby...I..," but he trailed off; hands reaching up to dig into his scalp. He had to sort this out one thing at a time. "I guess," he began again; a little more calmly this time, "...I just...want to know first...if...you and I...are….real or...just...part of...the whole lying thing." His look intensified, "I love you Arlene...I really do...and even though you...lied to me like this...I still do. But, do you love me? Because, I have to know...right now..." Tommy rarely made such demands of anybody, but he was feeling a little strained at the moment.

"Of course I love you," she replied earnestly if not too quickly. Beatrix did love him, but it was a different kind of love. It wasn't close to what she had with the real father but with Tommy it was special. At the very least she cared deeply for him and if time had allowed them she would have loved him immensely as their relationship grew. But for now she couldn't deny herself the yearning of another man, but to Tommy she could easily.

"It's because I love you that I lied to you," she added on gently. Blue eyes were fixated on him; shimmering with that glossy tint. "After meeting you I couldn't bear the thought of loosing you. I couldn't tell you about the baby's real father because I didn't want that to push you away. I'm just…" she trailed off her voice cracking with emotion. Beatrix was just scared; she was scared shitless for her baby. And that was it, the clear thing to draw in sympathy from any man.

Her lips pursed and lids blinked hard over blue eyes. It hurt herself to say this, but it was needed. "…I'm just…scared…Tommy."

Tommy was on his feet and over at the blonde's side in less than ten seconds flat. He wrapped his big arms around her in a supportive embrace. "There's nothing to be scared of sweetie," he reassured her in a serious but warm enough tone. He was still reeling from hearing the news, but he was doing his best to cope. He'd wanted so badly for her baby to be his...he couldn't deny that, but that wasn't going to stop him from caring for Arlene and her child...as if the child was indeed his own.

She loved him; that was enough. Was he a little angry that she had lied? Well yes, of course he was...but again...that wasn't going to stop him from loving her. Was he gullible? Perhaps. Maybe he was a fool...stupid to fall for it all. But, in the end...none of that mattered. Arlene needed him. She needed his support, his love and his protection. She was afraid...of what, he did not know. But he sure as hell was going to do his best to make sure there was nothing for her to be afraid of.

He rubbed her back, "Don't worry about a thing Arlene...we'll work this out...," he stared a little blankly past her shoulder. He could easily love this baby like his own...and he already loved Arlene. She'd lied to him, but he could forgive her for that in time...forgiveness was something he could do.

He pulled away from her; holding her at arm's length, "I'm not going to leave you," he stated with soft determination. That was what she was afraid of perhaps. "I wouldn't do that to you...ok?" His sparkling blue eyes searched her face.

Beatrix nodded slowly. Her angelic features were dabbed with traces of tears and blue eyes starring back at him were puffy along the rims. She never cried in front of anyone, if anything the tears now gracing her face were fake. But perhaps not…it was debatable. Instead of replying just yet, she came back into that embrace feeling a sense of protection from it. Tommy was no killer, he didn't give that kind of protection, the protection from him was sincere and far greater than anything physical. It was needed.

The blonde tilted her head and buried her face against the crook of his neck. He was special, Beatrix knew that. She couldn't think of any man she had ever known treating her like this…he really was a nice guy. She muffled soft words against his skin, "Thank you."

She stayed like that for a moment, enjoying the simplicity of it, and that everything was going to be okay. In a numb state of calming nerves she pulled away from him. A hand came up and she used the back to wipe at her face. "What about the wedding?" She questioned meekly if not with a little uncertainty.

Tommy let Arlene take her time with her recovery, partially because he needed the time as well; holding onto her tighter than ever. Everything was still sinking in for him...and it was a lot to cope with. His mind was racing, going over his months with her...their conversations, their time together, the baby... He felt a little numb. He wasn't angry or jovial, but he trying to be introspective about the whole thing. In time, the shock would wear away...back to the shining joy he felt when Arlene had told him she was pregnant. He could still go on with this...he just had to...adjust. They were still going to be a happy family.

He blinked at her sudden question, "The wedding? Well," a small smile graced his face, "...we can't cancel it now...no," he shook his blonde head, "...we've gotta keep on with the plans Arlene." He squeezed her shoulders, "I still want to get married...this doesn't change that. It wouldn't be right to call it off now. I want to marry you...," the smile widened a little,"...baby or not...my baby or not...it's the right thing to do." He was sure about this decision. "I love you, and I will love this baby...like it's mine, and we will still get married...just like we planned. This doesn't change that."

Well, it changed some things...mostly in Tommy's perspective, but still things should remain as they had. He would adjust...he was already adjusting. Things would be just fine.

The makings of a smile finally tugged at Beatrix's lips. She wanted to get married, she always secretly wanted to, it was just the complications of life that kept her from it but now she was free to do what she wanted. "I don't think I could stand the thought of not becoming Mrs Tommy Plympton," she stated; her tone tracing the edges of playful sarcasm. If Tommy could adjust then so could she. She already was.

It was easier to keep things as they were. There was less room for mistakes and more room to let it go. Beatrix was eager to forget this conversation ever happened. Another lie, denying the truth, but Tommy was okay with that. The whole thing was working in her favor. As for her baby, she was perfectly safe. Tommy was the perfect father and he was willingly to accept her baby as his, she couldn't ask for anything more than that.

She idly leaned back into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "It's late," she stated in a weary effort to dismiss the night.

Nodding in agreement; Tommy once again encircled Arlene in his big arms. He patted the back of her head with tender affection, not passionate affection, but one that was accepting and forgiving. He understood her message of moving on, and wariness of the events of the day. He wanted to move on too. He didn't want to deny what he'd learned, but he certainly was ready to begin accepting it. While many men would surely have reacted more negatively to this news, Tommy's reaction was pleasantly docile. It was up for debate if this was in fact a good quality or a bad one, but for Beatrix's current situation….it certainly was a good one.

"Hey...let's keep the store closed tomorrow," he suggested softly. "We can...rest up...take it slow, maybe do some wedding plan stuff." He shifted a little; catching her hooded eyes, "How does that sound?"

Looking at Arlene now, he had a sudden and very strong desire to make sure she was happy. He had wanted her to be happy all along, but now...the feeling was even more prominent. She deserved some happiness, and he wanted to give that to her. Sure, she'd lied to him...but that didn't mean she still didn't deserve happiness.

He offered her a gentle smile, "I know you have stacks of bridal magazines to go through still...and," he squeezed her shoulder again, "...we can spend the day together, just us."

"I'd like that." The smile on her face only intensified at that suggestion. It made her happy, and Beatrix never classified herself as being a happy person. She briefly recalled a conversation about happiness, being really fucking happy but she immediately closed that door; besides there were other more important things to think about.

They still had tons of things to discuss for the wedding and they didn't have allot of time to discuss it. Tommy wanted it soon and he still did, and soon meant that within the month the wedding plans had to be complete. This still didn't bother Beatrix, she was elated to know how eager Tommy was to get married.

Not only could they get some well needed wedding plans done, but they needed that time together. The day to sleep in, have a leisurely breakfast, lounge around the house in their pajamas surrounded by stacks of magazines, talking about random things, and just getting over what had just transpired between them. The sooner they could get past it the sooner things would be back to normal…and in Beatrix's mind normal was ideal.

Her head tilted to the side and she placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

Tommy smiled at that, some of his former unhindered happiness returning to him. "I'd like that too...," he replied softly; taking up one of Arlene's slim hands and squeezing it re assuredly.

Despite it all, knowing what he knew now, Tommy had absolutely no desire to stop the wedding, nor any ounce of doubt about how he felt about her. Things had changed a little...that was all. Once they were married, and Arlene had the baby, there would certainly be awkward moments to deal with. But, Tommy knew he could handle it. He'd always been good at adapting to new situations.

"Come on honey," he pulled on her hand gently; leading her towards the back of the house. "Let's get you all ready for bed and we'll start tomorrow fresh faced and ready to attack all of those bridal magazines..." his smile brightened at the somewhat frightening, but nonetheless exciting prospect. Because, he was sure everything would work out…and besides, they had a perfect future to look forward to together.


	15. Chapter 15

Lounging on the couch was that cowboy; blue jeans, black button up t-shirt, pair of red boots, and a brand new hat. This hat was going to be one of Budd's favorites. It was white with a brown band. He picked it up in some pawn shop during his last assignment had finished. The best part was after killing the store owner he had picked up the hat for free.

He was idly fiddling around with the thing as he waited patiently for his brother to get off the cell phone on the back patio. It had been a good two weeks since Aiyana, the new gal, came into the squad and Budd could see the drastic change in his brother.

This change was good on account it didn't involve large amounts of drinking and wallowing in self pity. Budd liked to believe things were picking up again and perhaps certain things were coming to a close. He could only hope, and thus his mood was considerably chipper, especially with his new hat.

Bill took his precious time talking on the phone. He knew Budd was waiting for him, but if anything that made him stretch his phone conversation on longer.

Finally, finishing up, he shut one of the partially shaded patio doors behind him as he re-entered the house.

His hard gaze fell on his brother. "Nice hat Buddy Boy," he said dryly, using his long, long unused coy little name for his younger brother. He sat down across from his sibling, putting his own black booted feet up on one of the rooms many chic Oriental footstools.

He idly picked up one of the Guns and Ammo magazines from the neat pile on the nearby table. Frowning, he leafed through the magazine, "I take it the assignment was a success," he said softly and without too much interest. When it came to Budd, Bill pretty much knew what his brother was capable of and that he had little to worry about. Budd had been in the 'employment' of Bill the longest after all, they had their own little communication down to a subtle art.

Bill froze on a page in the magazine, whispering something to himself that sounded like "Jesus...," obviously finding something he wanted.

Moving on, he glanced up at Budd, "Easy assignment then eh?"

"Eh, yeah," Budd replied casually and tipped his hat to settle a top his head. As long as Bill knew the assignment was a success, cluing in on the new hat, Budd didn't need to exaggerate. He never was one for telling recaps of his assignments and as long as nothing important that needed to be transacted back to Bill it was on a need to know basis.

He shifted on the couch. God, Bill hadn't called him by that nick name in ages. Buddy Boy had been a shitty assed nick name or more of a taunt that Bill used just to piss off Budd or coax him into doing something not entirely legal. Either way it was a fond childhood memory no matter the context it had been used under.

At this moment Budd wasn't sure if Bill had used that in well or ill context. The current vibes he was receiving from his brother were fairly normal considering their relationship. He cleared his throat nonchalantly and spoke up, "Who were ya on the phone with?" No one ever said Budd wasn't a nosey body.

Bill looked up at his brother again, this time with far more substance. He was silent for a few seconds, then he tossed aside the magazine with perhaps just the slightest bit of hostility, "I was talking to a contact of mine in LA….a former courier for the San Francisco Chinese underground. We go way back, over thirty years. We used to work together for the same crime boss." Obviously Bill was referring to the years he'd slowly rose from underling to big wig to potential target with the Chinese underground back in the late 60's, early 70's...the sort of 'Bill background' that Budd would be familiar with, but perhaps not the rest of his employees.

Bill leaned back, looking pensive, "I was trying to get some information on Lisa Wong...," he paused, a dark look coming over him, "….not to my surprise, she's quite alive and there were no reports of any of her associates being killed during the time I sent Beatrix on that assignment. As far as Beatrix, according to my contact, there were no reports of the murder of an outside assassin...nothing...no remains, no cover up story...not a goddamn thing."

He fell silent. He'd yet to really state the whole point of this little monologue and knew that there was no point beating around the bush with Budd. He turned his gaze fully back on his brother. This time, it was full of a chilling murderous glint...one that was certainly not for show, there was a most definite and frightening intention behind it.

"I'm going to track down those fucking assholes who killed Beatrix," he said softly, "...and when I do...," his frown turned sadistic, "...I swear to you Budd, I'm going to make sure they fuckers wished they'd died before I do it for them." He leaned forward, eyes gleaming like two dark coals, "And not just that...," he hissed, finger pointing "...I'm going to find every single goddamn fucking person associated with and related to those miserable pieces of shit and have them watch me do it…..before I fucking kill them as well."

He leaned back, his look still murderous, "I don't care how long it takes me, or what I have to do to do it...I will find them." And when it came to Bill, he had a tendency to back this sort of promise up with a very violent action.

He seemed to have been simmering over this idea for sometime.

Woah, that was unexpected. Budd let out a low whistle as he pulled himself into an upright position. He had seen Bill act like this before, years ago, but not too such an extent. Sure, he had had things 'personal' done to him but nothing like Beatrix. It was a tad unsettling but he didn't feel bad for the fuckers that Bill would end up killing. They deserved it, and hell Budd would even help out if needed, but he knew Bill would want the 'pray' all to himself.

A hand came up and his thumb and index finger traced along the rim of his new cowboy hat. "I had been kinda wonderin' when you were gunna put all-this to a type a shit to a finish, and I suppose killing off the assholes that killed Bea is the best way." He had the thought that Bill may even find her body, but when he mentioned there was no collection of it he wondered. Not too much, the assholes could of buried, hid, or mauled her so much a body would be impossible too find. A sad thought considering Beatrix had had a fine body.

He cleared his throat, "So, do your friends in LA think they can find 'em?"

Bill still looked scary, obviously he'd gone into full 'killer mode' there and was taking his time coming out of it, savoring the feeling.

He blinked, letting out a sharp breath, "No," he said shortly, letting the word hang in the air for the moment.

Oh, he'd been thinking about this all right. Subconsciously he'd been thinking about it all along. At first he'd been far too upset and fucked up to put much solid thought into it. But, as the weeks went on and he slowly began to return to a more "stable" mental state, the thought of avenging Beatrix's death began to dominate his thoughts...nearly as much as Beatrix herself did.

The arrival of Aiyana and all the things that surrounded the employment of a new Viper had kept him momentarily distracted from his vendetta. But, with Aiyana doing well and on track with the group, Bill's attention once again fell on the matter of resolving perhaps the biggest personal fuck over he'd ever received in his entire life. It had to be resolved, not just as a matter of 'closure' as Budd had referred to, but also for the matter of personal vengeance.

Nobody who had personally fucked over Bill was still alive; he'd damn well saw to that...each and every one of them. Some had little time to consider what they'd done; others had gotten by for years until he'd tracked them down. Needless to say, people tended to not fuck over Bill nowadays.

Bill's gaze slid back to Budd, a little more toned down now, "I don't think my contact in LA is going to come though. He's given me all he knows, but he's older...says he's retired, heh," Bill laughed shortly, "...well...either way, he's not the route I need to go with. No," he mused, "...I need to go elsewhere..."

"Elsewhere," Budd pondered thoughtfully. When Bill referred to elsewhere that usually meant he was going to dig himself further into this shit, not that it wasn't worthy shit to dig into, it was just frustrating as hell. He puckered his lips and settled hands on his thighs, a position Budd usually took when he was thinking really hard on something. As silly as it was usually when Budd thought hard it had good outcomes.

He slapped his thigh suddenly. "I 'member long time back, friend a mine, he's dead now," a minor trail off before he went back on track, "He thought his wife was cheatin' on him so he found this guy to track down and spy on 'er. Now, I thought that fucking shit was only done in movies but yeah now, people actually do it. People make a goddamn good pay outta spyin' on people." He chuckled lightly. "Anywho, this fella he used, was real good, got all a the shit he could want. I'm thinkin' you could use this guy…or someone that works in the same field too track down Bea's killers. I'm sure that'll give ya more information than some retired asshole in LA."

Bill scowled, which...he was pretty much doing before, but only worse. But he let Budd's last comment go. Instead, he pondered on his brother's suggestion...which wasn't all that bad of one actually. Budd certainly had his more informative moments.

Bill nodded, signifying he knew what his brother was talking about and then he was thinking it over. He plotted. A more subtle approach to finding Beatrix's killers would allow him for a better surprise attack. If he could get somebody to track the person...or person's who had killed her, watch them from a distance...make sure they were firmly planted somewhere. Bill could move in and get down to the bloody business of avenging Beatrix Kiddo. He didn't have time to play shadow anymore; he'd have to have somebody else take that role.

He realized, as nice of a thought as it was, that going in guns blazing would prove to be a big risk...and he could possibly lose the chance to kill the extended contacts of these murderers as well. He was out for the full hand here, a mass execution...a big ol' fucking murdering spree, the kills of his life...and that required some quiet and careful planning.

"Good idea Budd," he finally spoke up in a rare moment of sibling flattery. Within that few second span he'd already made a connection to a possible contact for this new idea. "I think I might have the perfect guy for the job...but, if this one falls through, we'll try your contact."

He leaned forward again and a sadistic smile spread across Bill's face, "Ya know Budd, you certainly have your moments...and...believe me...I'm going to create a new category of homicide with this one...it'll be worth that moment of deep thought you just used up."

Back to the egomaniacal and insulting, but at least Bill had given Budd some credit along the way.

Budd tipped Bill a lopsided grin of satisfaction. "Yeah and considering how much I used up, if this works I want full creditability…or at least a bottle of Jack put on yer card." It was rare occasions such as these when Bill and Budd got along. They didn't have a normal type of sibling relationship and it wasn't even the large age gap between them…they were just different. But, they had their moments, fond memories, and past together. That counted for something.

He rose up and took a step forward. "I'm off. Keep me updated on that tracking. I've heard ya can find some whacked out shit when usin' these types a people. Can't wait to see what they can dig up for ya." With a full out cowboy styled tip of the hat Budd left Bill to his own sadistic thoughts.

* * *

"Oh gosh, Arlene that's gorgeous." Tommy had 'proposed' to Beatrix early that morning and the word of that beautiful diamond engagement ring was out to the public, or rather Tommy's friends like old ladies chattering about the latest gossip on a street corner. The ring was beautiful. Twenty four carrot gold; a medium sized diamond in the middle, with diamond studs dusted half way around the rim. It wasn't overly flashy and it wasn't entirely plain, it was perfect. Beatrix tried to talk Tommy into returning the ring and that he couldn't afford something so pricey, but she eventually gave in because it made him happy. And honestly, having the ring on her finger and able to flash it off to her friends was really nice.

"Isn't it?" Beatrix agreed full heartedly. Okay, she was fully allowed too gloat every now and then. The past week had been tough anyway. After Tommy's family having dropped by and that whole ordeal about the baby's real father things had been tense. Tommy and Beatrix had their day to spend together and they spent it almost reorganizing their entire relationship, they went to the movies, a café for coffee, looked through bridal magazines, narrowed down a few catering choices, and various other things. Not to keep their mind off the fact that she wasn't carrying Tommy's baby, but to reiterate that it didn't matter and they loved each other anyway. Needless to say, by the end of the week they had everything worked out. Everything was back to normal; Tommy was the father, they wouldn't tell anyone; although Janeen, Joleen, and Erica took Beatrix off to the side midweek to inform her that they knew. They were fine with it, and promised it was no big deal. They all showed sympathy towards her cause and everything was turning out fine.

"Damn this makes me wanna go out and find some guy to marry," Janeen inclined thoughtfully as she and the other three were idealizing Arlene's ring. They were gathered in the record store, Tommy was in the back, and the girls were at the counter. The day had been slow so there 'idealizing' wasn't hurting anything.

"I'm sure Jack would marry you," Beatrix teased the brunette gently with good humor.

Janeen scrunched up her nose. "Ugh, God, wait…never mind. I take it back."

Erica had her face pressed so closely to Arlene's hand with an expression of awe that Joleen couldn't help but smirk behind her friend's back.

"It's beautiful," Erica breathed, "And it's so you...so perfect for you."

Joleen nodded in agreement. She'd already taken her turn to oogle the engagement ring. "Tommy knows you so well Arlene, I mean seriously, I can't see another ring on your hand."

"I just hope the rest of us can be so lucky," Erica looked up smiling, "I mean...finding the perfect guy...and the kind of guy who would pick out something so perfect."

"There's always Jack," Joleen spoke up, not forgetting his recently brought up name, "Although, I think Janeen's got dibs on that fine piece of meat." She ignored Janeen's glare.

"Augh," Erica made a face, stepping away and finally giving Arlene some breathing room, "I wouldn't touch him if the fate of humanity depended on our very procreation."

Joleen laughed, giving Janeen a look. "Pretty harsh there Erica."

"Well, it's true...anyways," she turned her warm smile back on Arlene, "We were discussing Arlene's ring and her fortunate engagement...not Jack."

Tommy was keeping busy in the back doing some inventory of back stock, but he could clearly hear the excited female voices out in the main store area. He was very happy, happy that he and Arlene were getting married, happy that things were working out, happy that she liked the ring so much...he'd spent a good two hours agonizing over his choice, and overall just happy with his life. He would have liked to have had more money, so he could buy her something even nicer...have a fancier wedding, a bigger house...he wanted to spoil her, but he simply wasn't in a financial position to do that. Yet, he knew that love and care were far more important than silly material things anyways.

Overall he couldn't complain about a thing.

"This is going to look so sweet when you put the wedding ring with it," Joleen was back on the subject of Arlene's ring.

"Agreed," Erica nodded.

Just then, Tommy emerged from the back room with a stack of boxes in his arms. Luckily he was a strong guy, because they looked pretty damn heavy. He glanced around the edge of the stack, spotting Arlene and the girls. He met Arlene's gaze, getting her attention over the chatter.

"Hey, kiddo," he said, voice a little strained with exertion, "could you give me a hand with these boxes here real quick?"

Beatrix felt as if she had just been hit in the gut or maybe it was the fact the baby was kicking. Either way, she took what Tommy said as a hit along with pent up emotional turmoil. But, she wasn't too taken a back to cover it up. "Of course," she said and slid off the counter stool. The tall blonde sauntered over; she wasn't to the point of waddling, yet.

She came up in front of him, blue eyes peeking over the rim of the boxes. "Tommy," her hands lifted up and she jerked the top box from the stack he had been trying to carry himself. Her moves weren't hostile; the smile she had plastered on her face was honey coated, but coated to such an extent it was too sweet. "Don't call me that," she took a step back. "…again." With that she turned and moved down the aisle to put the box in its proper place.

Tommy blinked, staring at the back of Arlene as she moved away down the counter. He hadn't missed her overly sweet vicious smile and tone in her voice. "Ok...hon...," he said tentatively.

He made a mental note, 'don't call her kiddo again.' He wasn't sure what the big deal was about a perfectly innocent pet name, but the last thing he wanted to do was irritate Arlene. He did not want to have a fight with her.

He set down the rest of the boxes and strolled over to where she was; quickly putting away back stock in the empty cabinet at the end. "Hey Arlene," he dipped down to look at her face, speaking softly, "...sorry about that, the kid-, the name thing...and...I...I should have asked one of the other women to help." He placed a big but gentle hand on her shoulder, "I guess I just forgot for a moment that you were pregnant….," he offered a lopsided smile that came off as somewhat dopey. It was a little hard to miss Arlene's pregnancy at this point.

"I'm sorry honey," he said again, and crouched down to help her.

Bright blue eyes met with those softened cool blue ones. Beatrix froze in motion of stocking the cabinet. Her mood could sway either way. In most situations she would most likely become highly irritated and take on that smart assed bitch persona, but with Tommy she went for the less argumentative side. Her lips thinned out into a gentler smile, "It's okay, Tommy." She eased the cardboard box containing empty album slips that she was still holding into the cabinet.

"You didn't know," she didn't turn to face him but tilted her head down cast. "It's a…pet peeve of mine." She gave him a quick side glance. "And," she stifled an almost amused laugh. "Shit, the huge bulge protruding from my clothing surely wasn't a dead give away that perhaps you should have asked someone else," her tone came out a bit more snappy than she had intended. Actually, she didn't mind helping Tommy at all. She enjoyed being able to do something other than sitting around being treated like a fragile china doll. "I'll go get the other boxes," she half muttered and turned to move past him back to the front.


	16. Chapter 16

It had taken Bill little over three days to get the man he was looking for.

He wasn't an easy man to find, but Bill knew where to start: Acuna Mexico...Bill's childhood home. After that, it had only been a matter of following the information and then convincing the man to ditch his current activities, take a flight into San Diego and then take the drive down to Bill's. He wasn't the type of man, who would do this for anybody, but this was Bill...and he'd known Bill for his entire life really. There were exceptions to be made.

This man's name was Dantae Iago Rai Alvarez, but amongst those in the underground world he was known as "El Lobo", or "The Wolf." But, for those who knew him personally, such as Bill, 'Dantae' was perfectly fine. Dantae had been born and raised in Acuna Mexico. His father had been a full blooded Mayan Indian, his mother; Portuguese. Growing up, Dantae had known and played with Bill's younger brother...as he was only two years younger than Budd. Dantae had gotten to know Bill from his semi-frequent visits to see Estiban and Budd throughout the years. And while Dantae had not known Bill when he had lived in Acuna, seeing as he hadn't been born yet, Bill's infamous reputation around the Mexican border town had made him seek out the older man whenever he visited. Dantae had always looked forward to Bill's visits, so he could listen to the Bill's often horrible but fascinating stories about the underground life.

Now, grown up himself, Dantae had perused a similar track in his own life. He'd tried assassination for awhile, but found it simply wasn't his sort of thing. Despite his childhood idolizing of Bill, he knew he was no Bill. He'd perused a different path...he became a professional tracker. It was a natural choice. He'd been trained as a young child to hunt by his father. He'd always been very good at hide and shadow techniques, and he had an extremely sharp eye. It was a perfect fit, and by the time he was in his late 20's he was making more money than he'd ever fathomed making. At times, he found he had to resort to violence, which was fine, but overall his job involved a good amount of acting, close observation, vast amounts of perception, disguising himself, and remaining anonymous in a world of anonymous people.

A few years ago, he'd met his current girlfriend...a photographer and the two of them had gone into business together; seeing as his job often required the use of 'good' photography...something he wasn't terribly good at himself.

When Dantae had received the call from Bill, he and his girlfriend had packed up their gear, leaving their home in Reno Nevada and headed down to Mexico. Dantae had to admit it was nice to be close to home again.

Now, sitting across from Bill, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. Bill was much older than when he'd last seen him, he still looked good for his age….and in shape, but there was something there...something hollow and weathered that went beyond just age. He had lost something or somebody, Dantae could see it...whatever or whoever it was had meant a great deal to him. Dantae remembered Bill as he was when he was in his early 30's; long brown hair, brash smile...a real charmer. He seemed very different now, although the pompous bastard in him was still very much spy and young.

Likewise, Bill was regarding the man from him, whom he remembered as being a skinny little brown kid in torn jeans and a tank top too big for his thin frame. He was far from that now. Bill figured Dantae must be somewhere in his early 30's at this point...but it was easy to loose track. He had grown to be fairly tall, slightly taller than himself and well built. His jet black hair was now quite long, down to the middle of his back. It was down at the moment, straight and shimmering off the living room lights. He'd also grown up to be a good looking man, with smooth native skin of a rich tanned brown. His eyes were dark brown as one would expect and possessed a sharp introspective quality. His features were certainly Mayan, but there was a wisp of European flair in his straight nose, strong chin and higher brows. He was a pretty man...in a still masculine sort of way. He was currently dressed in a casual grey suit and black leather shoes, wearing a modest silver hoop in his left ear.

Bill knew that Dantae's appearance now was only one of his many appearances. Part of the man's job was being able to change his entire appearance and demeanor with the blink of an eye. Right now, Dantae was fairly clean cut and slick...more in his 'natural' state. But, Bill knew that could easily change. The man would go from street person, to migrant worker, to thug...even to a woman...at least that was the theory. Bill also knew that Dantae was one of the best trackers in the world. It was possible he might have even sought him out if they hadn't known one another. They were both professionals in the underground after all.

They had literally just sat down together after they'd greeted one another and Bill wanted to get down to business; but he was curious when Dantae had shown up with a woman. Always being one for good manners...in his own way, Bill raised a brow at the red headed woman sitting closely beside Dantae.

"You have gone into the joint partnership business Dantae?" He inquired, smiling warmly at the woman.

Dantae chuckled, giving the lady at his side a quick grin, "Indeed I have Bill."

The woman sitting beside Dantae was quite the looker, and not in the entirely beautiful sense. She was pretty, but held more an inner beauty than anything that stood on the outside. She was obviously full fledged American, born in the good old fucked up parts of Idaho. Her name was Helen Vowell. Her most defining feature was that mass of curly bright red locks. Red heads were rare and hence per se, Helen was quite unordinary. She had well chiseled features, high cheek bones, big green eyes, freckled face, and eyebrows that had taken too much of a tweezing. She wasn't overly skinny or tall, coming at a height of 5'5''. At first glance Helen could come off as an uncouth bitch, but she was relatively good natured.

Dantae met Helen during a routine track down. It turned out the man he was supposed to track down was a friend of Helen's. Dantae tried to gain information from Helen on her friend's whereabouts and Helen being sly, caught on. This friend hadn't been on Helen's top friends list anyways, so she aided Dantae and as a pay off for her 'good deed' she partnered up.

Helen was an expert with the camera. She took classes in college and graduated with top honors in photography. In her younger years she used to work for National Geographic, but she got bored and moved on to free lance work. It wasn't until she came across Dantae that she thought to use her photography as a spying technique. She became rather valuable when working with him. Sometimes the pictures she captured made the 'hunt' that much easier. Photographs, as some would see as a piece of glossy filmed paper, could show the darkest secrets of any human being.

Well, here she was, always at Dantae's side on any new job. Dantae had filled her in on Bill before they arrived. Dantae thought very highly of the older man, an idol to him, and Helen respected that. She had her own idols. She sat beside Dantae in a pair of black pants, a crimson silk blouse, and high healed black sandals. A smile was set on her plump red lips as she regarded the older man across the table. "Dantae shoulda had a partner long before I came along, but then again he wouldn't of found anyone as good," she nudged the Mayan playfully.

She turned back to Bill. "I'm Helen…Vowell. Pleasure to meet you. Dantae's told me such nice things about you. Well, if you can think of a man that kills people for a living as nice…but Dantae's real fond of you and your brother. Makes it feel like a real honor to be here."

Bill laughed, in that amused chuckle sort of way. Ah, it figures Dantae would end up with a spitfire of an all-American fiery redhead. It was simultaneously a complete clash and a total match for the sleek Mayan.

Reaching across the coffee table, Bill shook Helen's extended hand; still smiling "I've never been nice Miss Vowell, not my entire life...but," he raised a brow, "...I can be sweet at times." The dark eyes held an inner twinkle. "A pleasure to meet you."

"Hey now Bill," Dantae interjected with a smirk, "...Helen's my gal, don't be doing that Snake Charmer act on her." Now that was Bill he remembered all right.

Bill leaned back, still smiling.

Dantae shook his head, his smirk widening. Leaning back as well, he put a casual arm around Helen's shoulders; a little protectively. "Helen is right though," he spoke up, "She's the best damn photographer I've ever seen." She had a right to be overly confident in her abilities; she was damn good at what she did, just as Dantae was good at what he did. They made a good team.

"That's good to hear," Bill said, the charming quickly giving away to the deadly serious. "Because, I want clear and concise photos of these assholes."

Dantae nodded, glancing at Helen, "We understand. I assure you Bill, Helen can do that."

"Hrm, good to hear," Bill's look darkened as he reached for a folder on the side table, "I've put together as much information as I could find." He handed the folder to Dantae.

Nodding silently Dantae opened the folder and examined the contents. On top of the stack of papers was a glossy 8X8 color photo of Beatrix Kiddo. Of course, Dantae had no idea who she was, but he recognized her as very beautiful...angelic but deadly looking.

He looked up, sleek hair shimmering, "This woman...?"

Bill pointed to his chest, "...was my woman. She was an employee of mine, my best...she was killed on assignment in LA. Her target was a Chinese underground boss, Lisa Wong. There's a photo of her in there as well, along with a few of her known associates."

Dantae continued to look up at Bill. So that was it. The pieces fell into place. It all made sense now; the look on Bill's face, the somewhat altered distracted vibe about him, the amazing amount of money he'd offered Helen and himself for this job...Dantae glanced down at the picture again, the pretty blonde stared back up. Dantae hid a smile, thinking that Bill might not appreciate it at the moment. He remembered Estiban telling that stupid story about Bill and Lana Turner over and over again...just to irritate Bill in front of other people. But it was true; Bill was always "a fool for the blondes." And now his woman had been killed; Dantae could understand Bill's feelings. He couldn't imagine living without Helen. He'd certainly want revenge if somebody killed her.

"What I want," Bill spoke up again, still looking morose, "...is for you two to find, without a question of a doubt, the person or persons who took part in the killing of Beatrix Kiddo. I've included information on her as well...thought it might help. Like I said, I want clear photos of these people, photos of their homes, their families, their cars...everything. It is most likely that whoever killed her is connected to Lisa Wong, or part of the Chinese underground, but...there's always the slim chance it was somebody else. There are always people out there looking to off one of my Vipers for multiple reasons." He pointed a warning finger, "Dantae, I'm sure you are aware of how dangerous the Chinese underground is, but...I reiterate, be careful….both of you," his eyes flicked to Helen. Dantae he could see perhaps melding in, but she was a different story. Then again, they both knew what they were doing, Bill was sure they had ways of operating and he wasn't going to tell them how to do their jobs. "Beyond that," he continued, "...I leave it up to you. The killer or killers are most likely still in the LA area, or in California, but they might also have left the country for Hong Kong or Beijing. I, of course, will cover all costs, on top of your base payment."

Dantae nodded, taking all of that in with a calm demeanor. "Let me look through this folder for a moment Bill," he spoke up softly, leafing through the papers.

"Of course," Bill replied, suddenly looking rather tired.

Helen peered over Dantae's shoulder as he leafed through the numerous amounts of paper. She picked the 8X8 glossy color photo of the blonde out, finding that more of interest. She pursed her lips. "Damn, she was nice looking," she mused quietly. "I'd kil-I'd…love to look like that," she corrected herself giving a tentative glance to their new 'employer'. She settled the photo on the table and resumed skimming over the papers Dantae had finished with. A majority of it was information on the woman's past assignment, the suspects of whom may have done the blonde in, and other informational shit.

Once finished she put the papers back into the folder. She looked back up to Bill and settled against the couch cushions. "Don't you worry…Mr. Bill. I'll get ya fine pictures. Hell," she stifled a laugh. "I'll even get ya a picture of one of those assholes taking a shit."

Dantae threw a look at Helen after her rather off color comment. Sometimes she had a tendency to come off a bit...abrasive to strangers.

But Bill just laughed, waving a hand dismissively, "I appreciate the offer Miss Vowell, and while I certainly want as many pictures as possible...," his brows raised,"….I could live without a picture of some guy taking a shit," he paused, considering that, "...unless it does help extensively in finding out Beatrix's killers of course."

Dantae had remained silent, and he repacked up everything in the folder as neatly as he had received it. "Well, Bill...it looks like we've got everything we need here. Helen and I can get started right away, which I'm assuming is what you'd prefer?"

"Yes, of course," Bill replied with a small smile, "Although, if you'd both wish to stay for dinner, Nikishi is making her famous yokisoba noodles and teriyaki chicken. It's quite good."

Dantae glanced at Helen, his fine brows rising at her questioningly, "What do you think Helen?"

She nodded eagerly. "Mmm that sounds yummy," that pretty much inclined that the red head was more than willing to stay for dinner. She had a wide smile stretched across her face. "Dantae hardly ever feeds me exotic food." If one could call noodles and chicken exotic food. Helen could be a frisky tease that was sometimes entertaining or just plan annoying. Everyone had their pros and cons.

It didn't take long for Nikishi to prepare the yokisoba noodles and teriyaki chicken and have it out on the table. Dantae and Helen were thrilled to stay and chat but they didn't want to spend too much time dilly-dalling.

"So, Mister Bill," Helen said over a mid bite of her chicken. "You must have some pretty fucking good stories about Dantae when he was younger."

Bill chuckled, finding Helen addressing him as 'Mr. Bill' quite amusing, but strangely enduring. "Well, let's see..." he set down his fork, falling into thought as he took a long sip from his tea.

Dantae smirked; he could only hope that Bill's memory was starting to go. He was glad to be taking a little time to sit down and eat...although he was a slightly irked about Helen's 'Dantae hardly ever feeds me exotic food' comment. What the hell? They went out all the time...

Bill on the other hand found the redhead quite entertaining. He fixed her with a lopsided smile, "I can't say I know as many good stories about Dantae as Budd does. I was gone most of the time Dantae was causing havoc in Acuna."

"Not as much havoc as you Bill," Dantae added, scooping up some noodles with his chopsticks.

"Yes, that is true," Bill pointed out, looking proud of himself. "But," he turned back to Helen, with a mischievous glint in his eye, "I do remember one thing about Dantae..."

Dantae froze, his dark brown eyes fixated on Bill. He almost looked scared.

"There was this one time...," Bill went into 'narrator mode'; voice taking on that familiar rich tone, "...I was visiting Acuna, I had just returned from Japan. Dantae was...I dunno...twelve, thirteen...something like that. Anyways, apparently Dantae, Budd...and a couple other guys had decided that they were going to shoot a bunch of wild rabbits and string them up downtown...probably over a hundred of them. There was certainly no shortage of them in those parts."

Dantae put his face in his hands. Of course, Bill had to tell this story. Helen loved rabbits. She loved all small cute cuddly creatures.

Bill ignored Dantae, continuing on, "I don't know what possessed them to do it, but Dantae was most likely acquired because he was a damn good hunter. I would also take a guess in saying a good amount of tequila was involved." Bill smirked at his dark skinned friend, "Well, this was the late 70's...caused one hell of a raucous amongst the animal rights people there. Dantae and the other guys stayed quiet for weeks, not confessing a damn thing. Finally," he paused, giving Dantae a long look, "...Dantae, out of all of them...stepped forward and took the blame for the entire thing. It was quite honorable actually, and out of all of those boys….Dantae knew he was going to face the worst punishment, yet he still took the blame."

Dantae nodded solemnly, "My father beat me pretty good for that."

Bill raised a brow, "I remember being very impressed by him at that point. I knew I had to keep an eye on this kid."

Dantae finally smiled a little, "Honor over murder then Bill?"

"Always," Bill replied with a feral grin.

Helen had been listening to the story as a child would to sitting on the carpet while the parent reads off a story. She recalled Dantae telling her there was something about the way Bill 'told' things that held a mysterious aura. Either way she was both fascinated and appalled by some of Dantae's past. She put her fork on the table and glared at her partner. "You killed a rabbit?" She exclaimed in apparent disgust.

"That was nothin', we once went out and killed a coyote," the red head snapped her head around to find a…cowboy…standing in the middle of the room.

Her mouth was agape. "You killed a coyote?" She exclaimed once again.

Budd waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah but the rabbits were the most fun. 'Specially when I brought one of 'em rabbits home, the one-a-the ones that didn't wanna fucking die…" Budd had a lop sided grin on his face. "Anywhoo, bought that rabbit home on purpose, just to spite Bill. Called 'em Scoopy Junior. Bill came home, found out," he took a step forward, hands in his jean pockets, and brows furrowed shaking his head from side to side. "Killed that rabbit point blank."

The red head shot her gaze to Bill. "You shot a rabbit?"

Bill stared back at Helen for a moment, with a eerily placid expression, "Well let's see at least one rabbit...Scoopy...and Scoopy Jr...no, no at least a handful of rabbits, a variety of small animals, three dogs, two cats, probably fifteen or so reptiles...and at least four hundred and fifty or so people." He went back to eating casually with a sardonic twist of the lip.

Dantae had missed most of Bill's little tally there, as he had turned around the moment Budd had come in, "Budd!" He stood up with a wide bright smile; obviously very happy to see his longtime friend and embraced him a very manly fashion. He had hoped Budd would show up. He laughed, "I remember the coyote...hey sit down with us."

Bill glanced briefly at his younger brother as he sat down to join them at the table, "There's some food left in the kitchen Budd," he offered.

Dantae on the other hand, was focused totally on Budd, "Budd, I'd like to meet Helen, my girlfriend and business partner," he indicated the redhead.

Helen was staring at Bill with her jaw completely unhinged. The killing humans she couldn't care less about, but all of those poor little animals. Her attention snapped back around when her name was mentioned. She quickly put herself back together with a wide smile and an outstretched hand. "Please to meet you. So," the red head raised a questionable brow. "….you're Budd?"

"The one and only. No one was or will be as fucked up enough again to name there kid, Budd," he said with a genial smile and took her hand lightly to shake it.

The red head kept brows rose. "You're mother was obviously fucked up enough."

Budd raised his own brows. "Yeah, but she was the only one. Think she was savin' the fucked up names for me." With that he glanced over to Bill and slid a hand over the rim of that new hat he had been sporting around continuously. "I just ate, but thanks anywho." He turned to Dantae. "Well, goddamn, you look good. And ya got yourself a girlfriend…a frisky assed bitch, and now you're gonna get a shit load of money for doin' a job for my brother," He chuckled. "I'd say you're doing really fucking good, my friend."

Dantae laughed, "Man, Budd you're still the same." Only Budd could get away with calling women 'frisky assed bitches' and make it enduring. Dantae's hand fell on Helen's shoulder, "Yup, I suppose I have done pretty good for myself. I guess some of us boys from Acuna turned out pretty well huh?"

Bill had remained silent, a tight smirk plastered on his face as he remained sitting and eating, looking rather stoically sadistic. Helen's comment rang in his ears. His mother had certainly been fucked up enough, because she'd spent most her life being fucked, in just about every way possible. And Bill wasn't about to point out to Dantae that most of the guys he'd known in Acuna were now dead. He didn't want to damper the mood of the reunion.

"Shit, that's a great hat," Dantae stared at the Budd's recently acquired cowboy headwear. "I have this beautiful black Stetson, turquoise and silver stoned brim...I shoulda brought it down to show you..."

As Budd and Dantae were exchanging cowboy hat information, Bill turned to Helen. "My mother named Budd after Buddy Holly," he said with a sneer; most obviously making a round about poke at Budd. "I always told him that he should get some black horned rimmed glasses to better fit his namesake." He shrugged, "He never believed me though..."

The remainder of the dinner was spent catching up and telling fond stories of the old days. Budd and Dantae chatted amongst one another most of the time and that left Helen to gain insightful insight on her boyfriend and his friend from Bill. As frightening as Bill could be she also found him to be highly entertaining.

"It was great to see you again, Dantae. I'm sure I'll catch ya again during your business with Bill," Budd said as they stood by the open front door. He tipped his hat to the red head. "Nice to meet ya again, Helen."

Helen returned the nod. She obviously didn't take offense to Budd's earlier comments about her. She was perhaps one of the few that found Budd not a moron; which was most likely because of Dantae's fondness of the man. "It was a pleasure," she paused, her green eyes wide with mockery. "Buddy Holly." She turned on her heel, taking Dantae by the arm and leading him out.

Budd stood there looking perplexed. He rubbed the back of his neck giving Bill a side glance. "You're a fucking asshole, you know that Bill?" He growled and turned to gather his things to leave.

* * *

"Hey Arlene," Tommy called from the front entrance of his house, shutting the door behind him; "...I'm home!" He knew Arlene was here instead of over at her place, since they'd talked about her coming over earlier that day at work, before she'd gotten mad at him that is. She had his extra key and no doubt was already home.

Tommy had gone out after work to get some groceries and he set them down on the kitchen counter as he made his way through the house. Removing his jean jacket, he turned on the hallway light and put it in the closet. He could hear the TV on in the bedroom and knew Arlene must have been resting.

Entering the room, he leaned against the doorframe. "Hey," he said softly, spotting her there, "I got you some stuff at the store," he smiled gently, "...some treats...ice cream...gourmet coffee...ya know the, 'I'm sorry for what I did earlier' kind of food." His smile became warmer, hands in his pockets as he looked at the beautiful blonde awash in the blue tinted light of the television.

* * *

Bill had spent a few minutes deciding who he wanted to take out on a date: Jack Daniels or Mary Jane. He loved them both dearly...Mary was the sweet type…..she'd sneak up on ya, blow your mind and calm you down. Ah but Jack...he was brutal and to the point; the type to fuck you and then leave you before morning.

Bill decided he was going to take Jack out. After the whole dinner with Dantae, Helen and Budd, Bill had suddenly felt a renewed and uncomfortable feeling of emptiness. Maybe it was seeing Dantae and Helen together, maybe it was talking about the 'good old days', maybe it was just the time of day...well, either way, he missed Beatrix all over again. Not that he ever didn't miss her, but there were times where it was stronger than others. And he'd certainly wasn't completely over putting himself under substance abuse when inclined. He was doing a lot better, but...at the moment, he took a relapse.

The remainder of the evening had thus been spent sitting on the couch, half heartedly watching television and getting completely drunk. It was now late in the evening, and Bill had shut the TV off, only to fall into a drunken slumber; head fallen back against the couch pillows.

The opening of the front door caused him to snap fully awake. Then there was the familiar tapping of Elle's chunky high heels on the wood floor as she made her way down the hallway and into the living room.

Dressed in a short skirt and matching white button up blouse, the willowy blonde gave Bill a look halfway between anger and pity.

"Elle," Bill murmured.

"You're drunk," Elle said with distain.

Bill didn't say anything, but just rolled his head away to look at the now blank television screen.

"Jesus Bill, I thought you were done with that shit," she said, coming around the back of the couch.

"You guessed wrong Miss Driver," he replied with a sloppy scowl.

"You know what you need Bill?" Elle spoke up, now standing behind him.

Bill didn't' reply.

"You need to relax a little."

"I am relaxed goddamnit…I'm fucking drunk."

Elle smirked and suddenly dropped her hands onto Bill's shoulders, which she then began massaging.

Bill, being far too drunk to care one way or another didn't move or protest to this. Besides, this wasn't out of the ordinary for Elle...and on top of all that, it did feel pretty good. "More on the left side," he said after a moment.

Elle complied, and along the way her hands slipped under his shirt collar to massage his shoulders without the coverage of clothing. "Whatever you say Bill," she replied in a suddenly silky tone.

* * *

Blue eyes calmly peered to view the man standing in the middle of the room. Beatrix had been home for a good hour and spent that hour watching pointless television. Actually, for a good five minutes she had been enthralled by one of those shitty television 'cuts' of Game of Death. When it became too hard to watch and she switched to some late night comedy that really wasn't that funny. She really hadn't blamed Tommy for what happened at the record store. It was a misunderstanding that went over the top due to her hormone levels. And, she really wasn't just blaming the hormones because she'd never want to get mad at Tommy…he was too sweet.

Hell, the way he entered the room with his 'I'm sorry food offerings' was adorable and that was what made the blonde stretch a smile. She was sitting on the bedroom's large recliner. Her legs were propped up on the nearby bed. A fuzzy blanket draped was over her legs and spilled off the edge of the bed. Her hair was down and spilling over her shoulders in a 'neat' mess, and she was wearing one of Tommy's t-shirts. The girls weren't around and as the saying went, when the cat is away the mice will play, or something equally as sly.

Blue eyes cast down a moment as she switched the television off; the only light glowing into the room was from the hallway Tommy had just entered from. "Mm, ice cream." That pretty blonde head cocked to the side. "I do hope you remember the pickles because after watching that I Love Lucy episode the other night I've had a yearning for pickles and ice cream." A slender brow raised in his direction, in toying affection. "If you forgot them, well," her body slouched down more into the recliner; getting more comfortable. "I'm not going to accept your apology."

Tommy smiled, completely drawn in by Arlene's whole appearance, her tone of voice…everything. He was amazed at how good she looked, at all times...even just sitting there wearing one of his t-shirts, pregnant, hair a little messed up...

He slowly walked towards her, "Well, I didn't buy any pickles, but I think I have a jar in the fridge, leftovers from the barbeque." He grinned, crouching down next to the recliner. Being so tall, this brought him down basically to her eye level.

Reaching out, he took hold of one of her slender hands, squeezing it affectionately. His blue eyes sparkled with obvious fondness as he looked at her, "If you want...I'll stick some pickles in a bowl of ice cream..." he smiled, his hand moving up to her hair, brushing some stray strands from her cheek. "You look so beautiful right now Arlene...," he said softly, "But, you always do..."

* * *

"Ok, that's good...now…..more to the right," Bill rolled his head to the side, "Yeah...that's perfect..."

Elle was loving every minute of this. Luckily Bill couldn't see the sly expression on her face as she took the utmost spiteful pleasure in this moment. She took her time, she'd been waiting for this for years, she could wait a few more minutes.

After a good five minutes of playing masseuse. She decided to take the next step in her little plan, Elle took her hands off of Bill's shoulders and slowly rounded the couch; her long fingers tracing along the smooth fabric along the way.

Bill watched her as intensely as he could in his drunken state; wondering why the hell she'd stopped...that had been a pretty damn good massage. There was an odd glint in Elle's cold blue eye at the moment, and Bill couldn't quite place it. If he'd been more sober perhaps he could have pinpointed it.

Elle's tactile tracings led her back around to Bill's shoulders as she came around to face him. He stared at her, a typical frown on his face. "Oh baby," she cooed, "...you need to cheer up."

Bill focused in on her, head lolling slightly to the side after a moment, "Not right now Elle…," he whispered, "I just want to be left alone..."

She pursed her lips, "No, I don't think you do...I think," she said, voice dripping with seductive intentions as she drew closer to him, "…you want the exact opposite." With that, she slid right into his lap, knees on either side of his torso. Elle was anything but shy when it came to such things.

Bill had somewhat of a delayed reaction to all of this, and he made a lame half-hearted effort to push her off; which failed miserably. "Elle...no, I-"

"Shhhhhh," the cycloptic blonde whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair, the motion forcing him to look up at her. Bill stared back at her with an unidentifiable expression in his otherwise alcohol induced hazy look. "Don't worry about a thing," she continued on in that seductive whisper, lips hovering over his own, "Just let me make it all better." With that, she leaned in and kissed him.

There was a brief moment, where Bill's mind flashed warning signals. Something wasn't right and he knew it. Elle had kissed him before, sure….but it had always been playful and rather meaningless. But this was different, very different, it was wanting and purposeful, and in his mind, dulled with alcohol, loss and misery, it couldn't catch up. It was almost too easy to give in. He hadn't been able to even touch another woman since Beatrix, and from a normally very satisfied to recently completely deprived male point of view, it was a fully welcome gesture. Oh sure, he'd thought about calling a number of women on an almost sickening long list...but he never could. Beatrix had been the end all, and even though she was dead he felt a sickening sense of betrayal that he'd never felt before in his entire life of chronic infidelity.

Finally! Elle could almost cry out with joy. Finally, she was getting what she wanted. Years of sitting by and waiting….watching as that bitch moved in, watching as Bill...like a fucking fool...got taken. Now, it was her turn. She'd been planning this little seduction for awhile. She hadn't exactly planned it for tonight, but seeing Bill the way he was now...well, it only made it easier. Now, Bill seemed a little on the traditional side when it came to these sorts of things, but she was about to show him a few new tricks.

Elle wasted little time; taking the kiss from borderline sweet to overtly sexual very quickly. Likewise, a woman with one mission in mind, she dropped her hands and began to rapidly unbutton his shirt, her hands moving with well practiced expertise.

* * *

Beatrix idly canted her head, loose strands of blonde hair brushing against his extended hand. "Some say flattery will get you nowhere…but…" her lips pursed. "…in this case it will get you not only my acceptance, but a kiss." And seeing as Tommy was level with her, all she had to do was lean over and place lips to his in a very warm kiss.

She pulled back with a thin smile on her face. "Now, I'll have that pickles and ice cream, and you are free to have just ice cream considering you gagged during the show in the first place."

Tommy smiled, hovering close to her, taking a moment to savor the aftermath of that kiss. His smile widened, "Whatever you say Lucy," He stood, squeezing her hand once more time, "And, I think I'll take you up on that no pickles offer," he made a face, "Gross."

Still smiling sweetly he went into the kitchen to get the food ready. A few minutes later, he came back into the room, a bowl of ice cream in one hand, and a smaller bowl of pickles in the other. Setting them on the small nightstand next to Arlene, he chuckled, "I left the option of mixing them up to you." Going back into the kitchen, he retrieved his own bowl; ice cream only. Then, sitting down on the bed next to Arlene, he made himself comfortable as the two of them prepared for a quiet sweet evening, eating ice cream and optionally, pickles.

* * *

Bill found he was rapidly getting lost in this odd moment of passion, and moved his hands from the back of the couch grasp the blonde hair in front of him. That was when, in his mind, things started to get weird. It was probably the alcohol combined with months of miserable celibacy, but it was almost as if he was once again kissing Beatrix. Well, almost. And, for a few brief seconds, he even believed it. His sudden jump in passion reflected this.

Elle, completely unaware of Bill's state of confusion, was in absolute paradise. She was getting the kind of physical response from him that she'd always wanted. She'd always known Bill was one hell of a kisser, now she could only imagine what other things he was equally or even better at. The thought was terribly exciting, and she decided to step it up a bit.

No, something definitely was not right. Bill struggled to sort through all of the conflict in his foggy mind. She didn't smell like Beatrix, she didn't taste like Beatrix….and when he opened his eyes; the hair entangled in his fingers was the wrong shade of blonde. The pace was all wrong, Beatrix didn't work like this. This was not Beatrix, this was Elle. He both simultaneously desperately wanted to stop and wanted to keep going. It was a conflict that was far more difficult to scale than he would have initially thought.

And then Elle snapped him completely out of it when she suddenly decided to bite down on his lip, hard...hard enough to instantly break the skin.

Bill instantly pulled away, "Fuck!" He yelled, a hand yanking away from her to press at his already bleeding lip, "Jesus, augh...Kiddo. I-" he froze; instantly realizing what he'd just said.

Elle, likewise froze, quickly pulling away from him; her blue eye widening in shock and obvious pain. She moved off of him, looking terribly hurt and made a rapid dash for the hallway.

"Elle...," Bill reached out a hand half heartedly, realizing his blunder, his other hand still clutching at his lip, "..Elle..get back here, I-"

Halfway out of the room, Elle spun around dramatically, "Just so you know Bill," she cut him off with a hiss and a vicious turn of her head, "I'll be waiting." Her eye bore into him,"Whenever you crawl out from whatever grave your self pitying ass has dug for yourself. Whenever you start acting like the cold, sadistic, son of a bitch that I have loved for years...well..." she laughed very bitterly, "...I'll be ready and willing." With that, she turned and left, slamming the door behind her.

Bill stared at her disappearing back, chest still rising and falling in that aftermath of that moment, hand frozen over his bleeding lip, and an uncharacteristic look of bewilderment on his face.

Suddenly, he felt quite sober.


	17. Chapter 17

The next morning, when Nikishi came into the kitchen to find Bill, eating breakfast with a small but rather nasty looking puffy cut on his already naturally prominent lower lip, he told her gruffly that he'd cut it during training with Aiyana.

He hadn't quite sorted out what had happened with Elle the night before, and he wasn't exactly sure he wanted to even try at the moment...he'd already spent too much time pondering over it throughout the night.

With a scowl, he picked up his paper, cringing at the sting of pain when he attempted to take a sip of hot tea.

"Goddamnit Elle," he mumbled to himself and flipped open the paper with an angry rumple.

* * *

It was midweek and the tall blonde was sitting comfortable at the counter of the relatively vacant record store. She was clad in a pair of loose fitting pants and an equally loose fitting powder blue blouse with flowing sleeves that she had purchased from the maternity store; this being one of the outfits she didn't detest. She had had on a pair of neon yellow sandals, but they were now on the floor and her bare feet were propped up on the bottom rim of the stool she was seated upon. Blonde locks of hair were let down and combed out to look presentable at work, not that she ever didn't look presentable.

Tommy had gone out five minutes ago to retrieve the couple lunch from the deli down the block. The hour was slow, having had only ten customers within the four hour period she had been sitting there. The store continued to be slow and Beatrix found herself bored. She first began leafing through a magazine, which not surprisingly consisted of wedding gowns. She already bookmarked and highlighted her top choices, but she had pretty much narrowed it down seeing the wedding was coming up.

And, speaking of weddings, when she finished with the bridal magazine, she moved on to the pamphlet Tommy wanted her too look over. The brochure advertised various wedding chapels in the area, most of them being small, nice ones. Tommy had already circled his number one pick; The Two Pines wedding chapel. Bea so far had no objections, and reminded herself to mention visiting the place to Tommy before the week was over.

Twenty minutes had passed and Tommy was still a no show. She knew the deli could be slow, stupidly slow sometimes but they did make the best sandwiches; it was worth the wait. So, to amuse herself further she put the pamphlet aside, and moved onto doodling aimlessly on the back of a void sales receipt.

Within a day of attempting to track down the killers of Bill's former lover, Beatrix Kiddo, Dantae aka El Lobo and his partner in tracking and in life, Helen Vowell, had quickly found out that their mission was not going to be a typical one.

Through a series of dizzyingly fast events and leads, the two of them had gone from LA to El Paso Texas. They'd only been in LA for two days, because as it turned out, LA was not even close to where they needed to be.

Dantae would have to explain what had happened to Bill...if his theory proved right. But first he had to put that theory to the test...

Entering the comfy, well worn, used record store, Dantae loudly shut the door behind him. At the moment he was nearly unrecognizable as the man who'd had dinner with Bill and Budd a few days ago. He was known for altering his appearance and altering he had certainly done.

His long straight jet black hair was now completely in braids. It had taken Helen hours of assistance last night in their hotel room to get it this way. He'd put some Native American looking beads around the bottoms of the braids. Likewise, he hadn't shaved for a few days...which gave him a scruffy look. He had wrapped a tie-dyed bandanna around his head, pulling some of the braids randomly through it. He was wearing ripped up brown corduroy pants, black Doc Martins, a holey Megadeth t-shirt, a black leather biker's jacket with some random patches and a big heavy metal style graphic airbrushed on the back, a giant gold hoop earring, and a pair of black fingerless gloves.

He looked like some stoned out, metal head, pirate wanna-be. Even if Beatrix had known him, which she didn't of course, it was highly unlikely she'd make him out to be the same man.

Dantae came sauntering in, flashing a quick look out the small window by the door, just to make sure Helen was ready and in place with her camera. Then, putting on a complete act, Dantae began shuffling around the rows of records, sniffing, flipping his braids around, and clearing his throat loudly. Going into the "Metal" section, he sorted through the records for a few moments. Picking out one, which he really had no damn clue who the band was, he glanced over the top of the record at the woman sitting behind the counter.

She looked bored. She was pretty, blonde...and she looked just like Beatrix Kiddo. Dantae's dark eyes flashed and then flicked back down to the record. He'd been right.

Putting the record back, he sauntered up to the counter, leaning on it. "Heya," he spoke in a completely different tonality and style than he usually did, "...see..lady, I'm looking for this really rare Megadeth album...called Absolutely Live High Voltage….you heard of them right? And I don't see it in that shelf back there...," he smiled, revealing a gold tooth, a cap. He'd also smoked a few cigarettes before coming in here, even though he didn't smoke...all for the effect. "Thinkin' maybe, you..ah..you could check that back room of you'res for it...eh?"

Beatrix had peered up briefly when she heard the opening chime and closing ding of the front door. She hadn't doodled in years and she was finding it enjoyable. Most of what she had been doodling were zigzagged lines, random bubble letters, her name written out in various scripture, hearts that looked more like squares, and squares that looked like rectangles, she was never good at drawing. She had taken glances to the customer whom was browsing the shelves. She didn't give him a queer eye as it wasn't too much of a surprise to see a person dressed in such a manner. Hell, she'd seen people dress like that; they weren't necessarily from the El Paso area, but visited randomly. So, the man wasn't too out of the picture.

She settled down her pen, pushed the doodled receipt to the side of the desk, and met the customer's gaze with a welcoming smile on her angelic and somewhat deadly facial features.

"Actually," she turned in her stool in the process of getting up. "I thought we still had one out on the floor." She slid off the stool and began to come around to the front of the desk. She swore every day it was getting harder to get up and will her limbs to move; not to mention every time she made a sudden movement it tended to 'wake' up the baby and thus the kicking began.

"Sometimes albums get moved by customers," she explained in a light, customer-friendly type tone as she motioned for the man to follow her back to the section the album he desired was supposed to be located.

Only Dantae's years of practice and experience kept him completely nonchalant and in character as the pretty blonde turned, slid off the stool, and walked around the counter...

Jesus, fucking, Christ...she was pregnant. Bill was going to...

"Cool," he smiled and giving a casual shrug of his leather clad shoulders, Dantae followed her to the back of the store.

He watched her with a put on friendly indifference as she deftly sorted through the albums along the back wall. He took note of the pretty ring on her left ring finger. By the design, it looked very much like an engagement ring. His mind was suddenly racing...this wasn't how it was supposed to be, no not at all...

His gaze one again flickered out towards the window; Helen was out there, still snapping photos. Dantae turned back to the blonde, making sure he wasn't blocking Helen's view, "Eh, noticed your gunna have a young one pretty soon there ma'am," he spoke in a friendly tone, "Just wanna say congratulations, that's real exciting I'm sure."

"It sure is and thank you," the tall blonde replied as long white digits flipped through the various album covers in stock. She wasn't trying to be antisocial. She was just doing business, sweet-short conversations with the customers as she tried to help them out. So far she had yet to find the requested album and the thought of going to the back was daunting. She kept a pleasant smile still on her face as she moved to investigate the next stack.

"Gotcha," she stated bluntly cutting the momentary silence as she plucked out the so desired rare Megadeth album. She gave a long thin smile, her bright blue eyes glimmering with satisfaction at her find. Okay, so the things that thrilled her now weren't exactly that exciting….but hell, at least she wasn't as bored. "I knew it was around here somewhere." She held the album out to him. "Is that all, or would you like me to tear apart the rest of the store in search of another misplaced album?" She joked in a friendly tone.

Dantae laughed, taking the record from her, "Oh, no, no...this is all I wanted." He looked at the cover lovingly, "I've been lookin' for this everywhere I've stopped in throughout Texas." He flashed her a quick smile, "Good ol' El Paso came through."

She was a very beautiful woman. He could certainly see her as 'Bill's type' and he knew she was putting up just as much of an act as he was. She was a trained killer...'was' being the key word there. She'd traded that life in...but why? Dantae had no idea, but it wasn't his place to figure out all of that. His job had been to find her killers...and in turn, he'd found her.

"Think I'd just like to get this," he said and followed her to the counter so she could ring him up for the record. As she was doing this, his keen observational eye took note of the bridal gown magazine, the cute little doodles, the obviously new maternal clothing...

She was still so young, and so ready to live...

Part of him pitied this woman. He had a sudden urge to grab her and tell her to run...run as far as she could. For Dantae did not have the option of lying to Bill...he had to tell Bill, he had to tell him the complete truth. He wasn't sure how he was going to tell Bill...but he'd start with the mere fact that she was alive, since surely that would make him happy. Then, he'd tell Bill the rest. At that point...well, may God…..if there was one, have pity on this woman's soul.

And when it came down to it, Dantae wasn't the most moral man in the world himself. He was loyal to Bill and loyal to his job. Sadly, neither of those were favoring this young woman at the moment.

"Ah, thank you...I appreciate it," Dantae spoke up suddenly as the blonde handed him the now neatly bagged up record. He started for the door, and then turned around to look at her one last time, "I hope you have a lovely wedding day and a beautiful healthy child miss," he tipped an invisible hat, "Good day."

With that, he slipped the record under his arm, and left the record store.

* * *

"We went all the way to fucking LA," Dantae had allowed Helen to fill their 'employer' in on how they gained the valuable information they retrieved before telling him the other valuable information. Helen liked doing this part of the job because it gave her something to do rather than just displaying her works of art; photographs.

The group was sitting in similar positions to their first meeting. Dantae and Helen sat beside one another on the couch opposite Bill, with an oaken coffee table sitting between them. Helen was wearing a baggy dark green hooded sweat shirt and a pair of khaki jeans. Her messy locks of fire red hair was up in a sloppy bun and her lips were colored a pink shade. She had legs crossed over one another and hands at her side as she told of their adventure, "We get to LA and Dantae here finds out about from that hotel ya gave us…that some woman checked in under that alias but never checked out. So, yeah, she was killed but no body was turned up. Weird. So, we investigated more…underground. Nothing," she paused. Helen was never that descriptive with details but she got down to the finer more important points pretty well. "Dantae and I decide to hit this bar, and outta pure shit luck overhear these fellas talking about how a couple months back this hot chick had nearly killed two drunkards at a bar in Texas all because they wanted some. It gets curious…So, we listen further and it ends up in good old El Paso, Texas. Shitty place if you ask me…" She pursed her lips.

"A little more clever workings from Dantae here," she nudged her partner affectionately. "And we end up in a used record store. Dantae along with my help came up with a little theory and we wanted to test it. So, you find your test subject. And…" The red head made a grab for a black folder at her side and put it on her lap. "We found this." She delicately pulled out a glossy 8X8 color photo and placed it on the top of the coffee table.

The picture was of a young woman, although the picture was from the chest area to the tip of the head. She was beautiful. Blonde locks dipped past her shoulders, clean cut bangs framed her angelic features; fine chiseled facial features, and bright blue eyes that were half lidded by a down cast look. Obviously the woman was unaware of the picture being taken. A placid smile graced her pink shaded lips. She wore a powder blue blouse with a low rounded neck that added perfect picture coloring to the background of various browns, indicating the inside of an area not entirely brand new. Helen fluidly took out the picture Bill had originally supplied them with and put the two side by side. "Spitting image, huh?"

Bill felt as if he'd been kicked in the chest by a horse.

It took him a few seconds to respond to Helen, as he stared down, dumbfounded at the two pictures.

"Like a reflection in the mirror," he said in a barely audible raspy voice.

Dantae sat silently, watching Bill closely. He wasn't' sure what to say at this very moment, so he stayed quiet. He had warned Bill, before they sat down, that the assignment had turned up unexpected results. Bill had waved Dantae's warning away...obviously he had no idea what he was just about to find out.

Bill just sat there, staring at the two pictures, his hands clasped onto his knees. Dantae noticed the man's fingers slowly pressing harder and harder around his kneecaps.

"Bill," Dantae started tentatively, "I-"

"Sshh!" Bill hissed, rising a finger like a threatening snake. His eyes were still plastered on the two pictures, dark and intense.

Bill's mind was currently doing stomach plummeting summersaults. There was absolutely no doubt that the woman in the picture Helen had taken, just yesterday, was Beatrix Kiddo...his Beatrix Kiddo. Jesus Christ...she wasn't dead. He should have known, she was too good to have been killed so easily...

He sat back, a hand covering his face. It was a rare moment; a public display of emotional weakness...but at the moment, Bill didn't give a fucking damn.

She wasn't dead, she was very much alive. She'd been living there in El Paso, mere hours from his house, for the last three months...while...he...sat here...in a FUCKING HELL! How could she? How dare she!

Bill inhaled a deep breath, which was just a little too short and forced to be healthy. He had to sort this out before he went ballistic...Beatrix was not dead. She had not killed Lisa Wong, but Lisa Wong had not killed her. Instead, she'd left him...she'd taken off and moved to El Paso Texas. But why? Why had she left him?

"Bill," Dantae started again, exchanging a quick glance with Helen, "The-"

"I said to be quiet Dantae!" Bill snarled, still pressing his fingertips into his forehead. God, he was so happy she was alive...but at the same time, he'd rather her be dead than to find out she'd done this to him. He was shocked, distraught, appalled and completely confused at what she'd done.

"Bill," Dantae started up again quickly. "There's more..." He had to tell Bill before the man processed this too much. Dantae and Helen had both agreed to not tell Bill about Beatrix being pregnant until he'd been able to take in this first round of information. Thus, they'd chosen pictures that, under Helen's expert eye, hid the blonde's pregnancy rather well. Dantae felt it was better this way. He was well aware of Bill's temper, and it was the best thing he could think of to make this emotionally wrecking information a little...'easier.'

Dantae licked his lips, fixing his look on the now very gloomy looking Bill, "Bill...she's...she's getting married..."

Bill's head swung up, "What?" His hooded eyes widened momentarily.

Dantae took in a deep breath, "She's getting married...ah...at the of the month. Helen and I were able to acquire a little blurb in the local paper about the rehearsal date and the wedding date. It's at a place called...The Two P-"

"Stop!" Bill cut in with a raised hand, his voice raw, "Just...that's enough..."

This was it. Bill leaned back, staring up at the ceiling. This was the worst personal fuck over he'd ever got in his entire life. He thought Beatrix being killed had been it...but no...this one took the cake. This one put all of the others throughout his life to shame and Beatrix had been the one to administer it, how fucking fitting. Again, he returned to the same words over and over again...Why had she done this to him? Suddenly leaving, that was somewhat in Beatrix's character to do yes...but run away and then decide to up and get married? No fucking way. No FUCKING way. She was his woman.

He remembered vividly, months ago...he and Beatrix joking around with Budd on the back porch. Both he and Beatrix had kidded about how much they found the concept of marriage revolting. They'd laughed about it...she was so against it. Ah, but there it was...she was so against marrying him, but apparently she wasn't against marrying some other asshole out there.

She'd made a fucking cuckold out of him. Nobody had ever made a cuckold out of him.

God, this hurt. Bill's chest felt heavy...felt caved in. He'd loved her, fuck...he still loved her...he always would. He'd loved her more than any other woman in his entire goddamn long woman filled life. He'd treated her well, despite being a bastard. He would have done any goddamn thing for her...hell, he even would have married her if that's what she really fucking wanted...but she didn't...at least...she didn't want him...

If Bill had had a broken heart before, it just got paired in half again; like a easily cut piece of fruit. He realized then the mistake of having the heart in the first place. He should never have made that mistake. He forgot how much it hurt, to have his heart broken...it had been so long, and this one...this was the worst.

Bill had thought she had been happy with him, flaws and all...she'd been so clear about that. But, he'd always known she was a pathological lair...he should have listened to himself from the beginning. He shouldn't have let himself fall in love with her. How could he have been so weak? He was far too cunning, far too hard and far too cruel to let this happen to him.

But, she'd taken him alright. He had to give it to her, she was good. She'd managed to fuck him over like nobody else ever could or dared to. And here, he'd sat, pining, missing, self abusing, sentimentalizing, and acting like a fucking pussy...while she...went off and found some other man, doing who knows what. Jesus fucking Christ it made him angry...

"Bill? Bill?" Dantae finally decided to speak up, after Bill had been sitting there, staring up at the ceiling for a good five minutes. It had been eerie watching Bill sit there, in complete silence, his breathing just a little too controlled, his demeanor just a little too calm; like a true sociopath just waiting to strike.

Bill finally looked back down at Dantae and Helen, the look on his face could have defined the word 'sadistic' in the dictionary.

At that moment, Dantae was extremely happy they had yet to tell Bill about Beatrix's pregnancy.

Helen exchanged an alarmed glance with Dantae. They both had been watching Bill and the facial expressions and tenseness they received from him was alarming. Usually when their employers were given bad news they reacted pretty harshly…but no, Bill outdid ever single employer they had ever had. The glint in the older man's eyes was enough to scare Satan himself, or close too it.

The redhead tentatively licked her lips and began to search through the remaining photographs. Thank goodness she put all of the full frontal and partial frontal photos on the bottom, as Dantae had suggested. It was a good idea. Taking care to her precious photographs she began placing them down one by one on the table top. She glanced up to find Bill's hard brown eyes glued to the photos she displayed.

The next one was another facial profile; equally as beautiful and oblivious. Helen felt a ping of remorse when she displayed the fifth photo. It sure as hell was Beatrix, wearing that same pale blue blouse, a facial profile, but beside her stood a man. He was tall, a good head taller than the woman. He had light blonde hair that was sloppy military style cut, some shades of that blonde almost appeared bleached, but it was all natural. The same blonde color was decorated along his side burns that leveled off into stubble and a make-shift goatee. He had soft blue eyes and a classic dopey grin on his face. Helen had to admit the guy was a type of classic cute.

"That is Tommy Plympton, her fiancé," Helen said quietly after she put down the 8X10 photograph. She set down one more picture; the 'couple' appeared to be sitting down together, the pretty blonde had her head in the nook of the man's shoulder, eyes canted down, and her pink shaded lips partially parted as if in misspeak. The man's head was canted down as well as his gaze; a contented smile on his face. Obviously they were looking at something. Helen recalled when taking the photograph they were reviewing the contents of a bridal magazine. Thank God she wasn't fucking stupid enough to capture the magazine as well.

Helen pressed her lips together and sat back to let Bill examine the new set of photographs. She caught Dantae's eye and she motioned to the folder on her lap. That had been all of the 'non-pregnancy' photographs she had taken. She hesitantly glanced to Bill.

Bill took in this new round of photographs...each was now just a heap of painful salt in a raw gaping open wound.

He slowly picked up each picture with a an overly calm hand. But as he looked at each photograph there was no missing the growing hurt and pain in his eyes; it was too hard to hide that at the moment. He picked up the picture of Beatrix and her fiancée.

This Tommy Plympton looked just like the kind of dumbshit asshole Beatrix would go after. She was always trying for those 'nice guys' throughout it all. Bill resisted a bitter laugh, oh how he'd let her down in that category...

Was that it? Had he simply not been what she wanted after all? He didn't know what to think...but, he did know that up and leaving him, having him believe she was dead, was not exactly the nicest way to tell him that she didn't want to be with him. It was rather cruel, in fact Bill wasn't even sure if he'd stoop that low….perhaps, but not with somebody he'd loved as much as Beatrix.

She could have just told him...

Un-focusing from Tommy, and taking in the whole picture of both he and Beatrix, the hurt and angry look in Bill's eyes deepened. Seeing her like this, so happy, so contented...with another man...it was unexplainably wounding. His fingers tightened on the edge of the picture. That look of happiness on her face...that was HIS look, that was how she'd looked at him...at times...and, the way she was lying her head in the crook of the man's shoulder...that was HIS...she'd done that to him... God, he'd loved it when she did that...and now she...

He suddenly set down the picture and picked up the other one, the profile of Beatrix. She looked so beautiful, as always. How he missed her...

Without even really thinking, he traced a fingertip along the gently sloping photographic profile of her neck; his head cocked to the side in an almost imploring expression. His eyes crinkled further with a mixture of pain, longing and growing bitterness.

Dantae, who decided he didn't want to watch this anymore, had turned his head away and was staring blankly out at the strips of blue daylight beaming through the slats in the wooden patio doors. He'd never seen Bill like this. He didn't know what to make of all of this exactly, but he knew that Bill had been deeply hurt...and that...was not a good thing, for anybody involved.

After having stared at the picture of Beatrix for far too long, Bill set it down on top of the other. He pushed the photos towards Helen's side of the coffee table.

"I'd like you to put those away now...Miss Vowell," he said in a deathly quiet tone.

As Helen complied, he slowly and gingerly sat back against the couch, as if his entire body was now covered in open cuts.

Dantae turned back to look at Bill, completely dumbfounded as to what to say...so once again, he remained momentarily silent.

Bill calmly folded his hands in his lap, his forefinger wrapping just a little too tightly around his large turquoise and silver ring. He was obviously making a struggling effort to regain a more neutral expression on his face; something that was normally as naturally easy as breathing for him.

"Perhaps, we should head back to the hotel for a bit Helen?" Dantae suggested to the redhead next to him, his dark eyes flicking back to Bill for some sort of approval.

Bill nodded silently, a hand rubbing at his chest...which was now aching with a dull sickening sort of pain. "Perhaps," he added softly.

"Perhaps we should," Helen ended it off and began too rise from the couch. She felt horrible for the man. She could only imagine…well….she couldn't imagine what it would feel like to know the person you loved wasn't dead but alive and in turn found another man. Hell of a way to break up with somebody.

She grabbed up the folder of photographs and cradled them beneath her arm. She gave Dantae a questioning expression. When did he plan to tell Bill the rest? Maybe they should tell him now so he could have the heart attack all that once. So he didn't recover and then be shot with another surprise. That didn't seem fair, but then again it wasn't fair to dose all of this information on the man when he was already suffering.

Her red tinted brows furrowed and she turned back to Bill instead of following Dantae out. She approached the older man cautiously and set down the folder down on the coffee table top in front of him. "There's..uh..a few other things in there you may wanna look at…later," she muttered and turned away. Let him make the decision for himself. She came back up to Dantae and wrapped an arm around his waist as they walked out silently and forlorn.

Bill stared at the folder that Helen had just left on the table as if it was filled with anthrax. He didn't move for sometime, he just sat there...glaring at it, fearing it like he'd never feared anything before in his entire life.

What more could there be? Beatrix had left him, ditched him...fucked him over, and decided to get hitched to some cute young asshole. All of this after all he'd done for her, all he'd taught her, all he'd loved her. He highly doubted it could get worse. Then again, life was fucking funny like that...

After sometime, he reached out and picked up the dreaded folder. Then, he spent a few moments just staring at the plain folder cover, attempting to glare through it. But he wasn't Superman, heh….that was for damn sure. No, he...at the moment, was just like any other fucked over man out in the world...well, one that killed people that is.

Finally, he opened it and slowly began leafing through the photographs. It seemed Dantae and Helen had only shown him a couple of the repertoire that they had acquired. It only took Bill about two seconds to figure out the difference between the pictures they'd shown him previously and the new ones he was looking at now.

For Beatrix was not only getting married...she was fucking pregnant.

Well, if that wasn't the fat ripe cherry sitting on top of the pile of shit he'd just received.

With a snarl, Bill instantly tossed the entire file of pictures over his shoulder. The contents spilled onto the ground with a soft swish. He'd seen enough. It was all clear now.

Leaning forward, he dug his fingers into his scalp. He could feel a massive wave of anger coming on, like a raging storm that had been waiting in wake for years. He was fairly good at controlling his temper nowadays, compared to how he used to be at least, but at the moment...he didn't think he could hold it back...he was far, FAR too upset. He was trying though...

Beatrix was pregnant. Well, perhaps he had been right when he'd made those cruel comments to her...about her being like her whore of a mother. She'd ran off, once again, he had no real idea why, got knocked up and...most likely, in some sort of fucked up idea about making it 'legit' decided to get married to the motherfucker who had so quickly knocked her up.

Bill had the sudden urge to go and fuck some random woman out of pure spite. He could be in San Diego in forty minutes...thirty if he sped. He knew at least five women there, that….after a fancy dinner and some sweet talk he could fuck without a ounce of thuoght. Better yet, he could call Elle...he'd have her on her back in less then two seconds after she'd walked in the door.

No...that was childish, stupid. He wasn't that petty. He didn't need to stoop as low as Beatrix...he could do far, far better than a spiteful, angry, meaningless fuck.

"FUCK!" He yelled suddenly; that momentarily semi-calm lapse giving away to a renewed feeling of betrayal. Standing up, he prowled the expanse of the living room, caught between anger and agony.

In the end anger won. It always did. He couldn't hold it back anymore.

Picking up the nearest Oriental footstool, he threw it at the nearby bar with a cry of angst and fury. The footstool smashed, dead on, into the back of the bar; breaking just about every glass, trinket and bottle sitting on the shelf along the way. Those glasses that were spared from the initial attack came smashing to the ground due to the sheer force of vibrations. The loud shattering eventually died away into eerie silence.

Bill stood staring at this tableau of destruction with a look of pure intense sadism on his face; feet planted apart, fists clenched at his sides.

Oh yes, it was all clear to him now. There was a price for breaking the heart of a murdering bastard. And that price was mighty high. To Bill, he had only one option:

He was going to kill Beatrix Kiddo.


	18. Chapter 18

The next morning continued fairly normally except for the fact it was Nikishi's day to come in late, thus leaving the living room looking as if a fucking tornado had torn through it; or that was what Aiyana thought as she walked inside. It was their usual 'training' day. There were no new assignments, so when the brunette was free she stopped by Bill's to work on her various skills. She was dressed in a casual pair of navy blue sweat pants, matching tank top, and sneakers. Her auburn shaded hair was up in tight a bun, loose strands framed her delicate features. Those dark brows were furrowed as she took notice to the shards of glass on the floor.

"Bill?" She spoke up. The man wasn't in the current area and she felt a ting of worry that someone may have broken in and decided to smash the bar; odd, but a possibility. Her steps brought her to the back of the living room, towards the patio door, and out of the corner of her eye she spotted a black folder. Her head canted to the side curiously as she bent down to pick up the mess.

"Don't fucking touch that folder Aiyana!" A voice hissed from behind the partially open patio door. It was Bill's voice, whip like and deadly in its tone. A pair of cold hard brown eyes peered at her through an open slat about six feet above the ground. "What are you doing here?" The disembodied eyes of Bill spoke in that same deadly tone.

When Aiyana informed him that she was here for their scheduled training session, Bill suddenly came around the other side of the door, and slipped past her with a furiously smooth movement.

He turned around to face her with a typical frown, except this one was even deeper...if that was possible. But, unlike when Bill had...oh so wrongly thought that Beatrix was dead, he didn't appear dishelmed, tired, fucked up, or distraught, instead, now...he'd almost gone the opposite direction. He was wearing a suave looking button up shirt, fancy cowboy boots, slicked back hair, a demeanor of pure self confidence and focused streamlined perfection.

"Well then, let's train," he said softly; looking sharply at the brunette. Stepping over the glass and wreckage of his own destruction as if it wasn't even there, he walked into the middle of the room and picked his Hanzo sword up from off its ornamental stand. "I think you're ready for something a little more deadly," he said quickly, brushing back past her, leading the way out into the backyard and up the steps onto the courtyard area.

Unsheathing the sword, which emitted a high pitched ringing that spoke of the utmost craftsmanship, he set the black devil's face scabbard on the ledge of the low stone hedging on the edge of the courtyard.

Wielding the weapon as if it were a long lost child he'd just found, Bill glanced at Aiyana; whipping the blade around in fast circles "Take a sword from the rack Aiyana, I would recommend either the one with the metal snake handle or the silver and red woven one." All of this still being spoken in a quick distracted tone of voice. "When you have chosen the sword you want, attack me."

Aiyana was taking all of this in very carefully. The way Bill was acting, speaking, and moving was all a little unnerving. With a quizzical look on her face she walked over to the sword rack and took out the silver and red woven sword. She certainly didn't think herself ready to go up against Bill's Hanzo sword. The steal glimmering as the sun glistened off its sleek surface. It was as cool as it was deadly. The two were a perfect match.

The brunette accustomed herself to the feel of the new blade in her hands, her fingers flexing on the handle as she got a good grip. Her eyes slowly leveled to Bill's cold and almost black brown eyes. Something was different about him, something not good, and she couldn't point it out. She wanted to know what had happened in the living room, but she wasn't stupid enough to ask. As unsure as she felt she couldn't go against his word and say she didn't want to train today.

So, she sucked in a breath, and she came at him as instructed with sword poised to strike.

Bill was very aware of his sudden change in treatment towards Aiyana, and he very much didn't give a damn. At this moment, to him, nothing else mattered but acquiring his deserved payment for what had been done to him. He'd slipped easily into this cold emotionless place. This kind of place allowed him to hurt anybody he pleased, no matter how much he cared about them. It was the place of a true sociopath. Every living thing he looked at was now nothing more than a moving target to kill how he pleased; because he could, because he deserved that pleasure.

On top of all this, he was also using most of his mental resources to begin to plan his assassination of Beatrix. It had to be sneaky, it had to be something special, something she deserved. He had to approach it with the utmost charm and then strike at just the right moment. At the same time, it had to be brutal and foolproof; he would allow no room for failure. This plan was beginning to form at a measured paced within his mind.

The sword fighting, the movements, it was all just automatic motion to him. He was growing increasingly irritated with Aiyana; not because she deserved it...he recognized that, but because she just happened to be the living being he was seeing as nothing more than a play toy at the moment.

Raising his own sword, Bill waited only a few seconds before coming at her again with a series of vicious attacks. It was so easy to project his anger and pain towards Beatrix onto this woman...almost too easy. Thus, these attacks were not half hearted or moderate in the slightest. They grew more purposeful and harder for a training sword fighter to defend against.

The shimmering reflections of Bill's Hanzo blade, flashed across his face. He didn't blink in response. "Your own shortcomings are going to be your undoing Aiyana," he said slowly between steady controlled breaths, "A true killer cannot allow for shortcomings." Like having a fucking heart for starters.

With a vicious swing, he came within mere centimeters of slicing off Aiyana's right ear. He flashed a quick smirk, "Not a vital organ, but I think it would mar your lovely appearance," the smirk vanished, "Move faster."

Aiyana sucked in a breath. She had felt the cold metal breathing on her skin, inches away from slicing, and then pulled back. If she wasn't feeling so uneasy, or if she was more of a smart ass she would have made a comment about not wanting to be a Van Gough wanna-be. But besides that was the fact he had even mocked the idea of marring any part of her body. It didn't take a fucking genius to tell Bill wasn't in 'teacher' mode any longer.

She took a step back as Bill took merciless swings at her, which she was just barely able to parry. The sweat was beginning to gleam against her skin due to excretion and pure unease. Even as she dodged swings that came inches from slicing her skin and a few times nicked at the cloth of her clothing. This was becoming too much. Obviously Bill was upset about something and she didn't want to be the punching bag in which to release that frustration upon.

As she was quickly debating whether she wanted to continue, that was when she had let her defense down. The tip of Bill's Hanzo sword slicked against her arm, a trail of crimson reflected in its place. Aiyana sucked in a sharp breath and took quick, long steps away from him. Her eyes were wide. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She demanded. Usually she wouldn't speak up to her boss but the situation called for it. "You know I'm not ready to go up against something like that.."

"You're right," Bill replied. "You aren't ready. Maybe I was wrong about you."

Aiyana remained wide eyed on him. His words slowly beginning to sink in until they had the full effect Bill had initially intended to. Now, if Aiyana knew Bill better or if she was another person, she wouldn't have been taunted by Bill's mockery. Instead his words angered her. Why would he say that when he saw what else she was capable of? Like any woman she hated to be degraded or thought less of. Her brows furrowed and her lips came into a tight line.

The last thing she wanted was for her boss to believe she wasn't capable and she certainly didn't want to disappoint him. This type of thinking was what would get the brunette in trouble. If she had been wise she would have agreed with him and backed out of the training session, but she wasn't.

Her head came up into a regal posture. "No," she began in a steady tone.

"You weren't wrong about me." She steadily took a step forward, the soles of her sneakers crunched against the gravel as she came back onto the patio. Her hands clenched and flexed into a proper position on the hilt of her blade. She then came into a fighting stance; obviously ready to attempt to prove him wrong.

Ah, that was Aiyana's fatal error and Bill knew it. Because, of course, he'd set it up that way. He'd taunted her, and if she'd been wise...if she'd been Beatrix, she would have told him to go fuck himself and walk away. It would have pissed him off sure, but it would have been a far wiser choice than falling for the bait and willingly continuing to go up against him when he was in such a mood.

Bill hid a satisfied smile. It was so easy to anger some people...a little mockery and they were ready to throw themselves on the slab. He knew then, for sure, that this pretty young woman...Aiyana Espona was going to be his sacrificial lamb of the day; the appetizer to Beatrix if one wanted to get strangely metaphorical about it. He didn't feel sorry for Aiyana...for the simple truth was, he didn't feel anything at all.

"I'm very happy to hear that Aiyana," Bill replied in a strangely friendly tone of voice, a charming smile gracing his face.

Regaining his fighting stance, he lowered an intense gaze at her, both hands gripped confidently on the handle of the deadly Hanzo blade in his hands; .knowing he would have this over within a matter of seconds. This was always Bill's favorite moment, the moment right before the kill.

When Aiyana, renewed with her anger at being mocked, came at him, Bill responded with a series of lighting quick movements, the look in his eyes murderous. This type of maneuvering was only achieved after years of training, and/or the combination of excessive talent. It was the type of rapid and extremely deadly technique that was employed by the seasoned samurai fighter when going up against an equally skilled opponent...thus why most samurai sword fights were generally not all that long; somebody generally got killed very quickly.

Aiyana simply didn't stand a chance against this sort of technique. She had been right of course, she wasn't ready to go up against a Hanzo sword, and she sure as hell wasn't ready to get attacked in such a manner. In a few years perhaps, but...unfortunately she wouldn't get a chance to reach that skill level.

Within three seconds, Bill had disarmed the brunette, and deftly knocked her sword out of her hand. The weapon went clanking to the cobblestones a few feet away. When Aiyana stared back at him with shock and a good amount of imploring, Bill simply ignored it. Continuing his strike pattern, he swung through and smoothly sliced her across the torso. If he had been closer or swinging harder, this would most likely could have cut her literally in half. But, as it was, she was now lying on the ground with a gaping mortal wound that would probably take a few hours to bleed her to death. And if that didn't' happen, it's very gaping nature would lead to massive infection within a very short time. Either way, no party, that was for certain.

Happy to have avoided the initial spay of blood, Bill checked his silk shirt with a placid expression. Then, bloody sword in hand, he stepped over to the fallen brunette, standing over her, feet planted on either side of her...degrading her even in her last seconds of life.

He stared down at her placidly, his attention on her anguished face as she stared up at him, mouth working...trying to speak.

He shook his head, putting his forefinger to his lips. It was no use for her trying to speak, and likewise Bill found there was no need to say anything to her. What had been done was done. It was somewhat of a pity, wasting such a pretty talented young woman, but...then again...it wasn't anything he hadn't done before. She needn't take it personally. She'd simply been the wrong person at the wrong place and the wrong time.

Bill jabbed his Hanzo sword into the cobblestones for temporary holding, and then slowly began to roll the sleeves of his shirt up, taking his long sadistic time as Aiyana laid at his feet; deep wound oozing crimson blood onto the cobblestones around her.

Finally, inspecting his forearms, and satisfied with the distance his shirt sleeves were now at, he pulled his Hanzo sword out of the ground and held it upside down, in the universal stabbing position.

Aiyana, who was at least aware enough to recognize what was about to happen, widened her eyes, once again trying to speak...only a sick garble escaped her lips.

With an expression of complete neutrality, Bill positioned the tip of the blade right over her throat. Jabbing through her chest or head was simply too messy and actually took some serious force to do; he wasn't in the mood for that.

His eyes flicked to her face once more. She should be thankful; he was giving her the gift of a swift death in the face of a long agonizing one.

Without even a second of hesitation, Bill then jabbed the sword right through her throat; the end of the blade jabbing into the ground behind her. As he had expertly guessed, his hands and forearms received a dousing shower of blood in response. Aiyana made one last garbling noise and that was it. He quickly yanked the blade out and stepped away.

He turned his back on the now quite dead Aiyana without a blink of an eye and set his Hanzo sword on the stone ledge next to the scabbard. It would require a good cleaning before being returned to its dormant state, but no matter...he'd done that deed countless times.

Strolling across the backyard, Bill entered the house through one of the partially open patio doors, careful not to touch the handle with his hands.

As he entered the living room, Nikishi looked up. She'd shown up a few minutes earlier and was now busy at work on cleaning up the shattered remains of the bar Bill had destroyed last night. The Japanese woman stood up straight, her dark eyes meeting Bill's, and then dropped to his crimson covered forearms and hands.

"A tragedy," he spoke smoothly, "Miss Espona had an accident while training. Her body is out on the courtyard."

Nikishi didn't say anything; she just stared at Bill for a moment longer and then dropped her eyes back to the task she was currently working on.

Bill turned away calmly and headed down the hallway to clean up. "We shall have breakfast soon, yes?" His voice called up from down the hallway.

"Yes Bill," Nikishi replied softly, scooping up a large pile of glass.

Within the hour Nikishi had more or less made the bar presentable or at least safe to walk around. Once through she had set out a bowl of granola and fresh assorted fruit which Bill was eating over an edition of the Times; appearing rather sublime at that moment. She didn't say a word and went out to the courtyard.

Soon enough the front door could be heard opening and closing, followed by the shuffling of boots and appearance of Budd. He was wearing that pair of blue jeans that he almost always wore, light blue button up shirt with a white t-shit underneath, black boots, and that hat. Upon entering the dining room, which was right next to the bar, he puckered his lips and his brows furrowed. He could have sworn there had been more liquor on those shelves the other day, that, and a glass cabinet.

He took a step further into the room and settled his gaze on Bill…who looked...fucking…normal. Normal being for Bill casually placid with an extra coating of sadism; and that coat today was glistening. Budd hadn't seen Bill this normal in ages and it wasn't even his typical type of normal. It was a normalcy that was eerie.

"Hey Bill," he awkwardly greeted. "What…uh…happened to the bar?" He made a motion over his shoulder, his expression perplexed.

"I destroyed it," Bill replied in that eerily calm tone, between sips of hot tea, which he picked up with a perfectly scrubbed hand. When all he received was silence from his brother in response to this, he looked up from his paper. "I felt inclined," he raised a brow,"...to retaliate."

Of course, he was just being coy with Budd, and Budd of anybody would know that. Bill slowly set down his paper. He didn't want to have to utter the words required to inform his brother of what had happened...but he knew he had to. He had to remain calm throughout this...which obviously was not an easy task.

"Beatrix," he began, pushing his tea cup away with a frown, "Is not dead." He fixed his younger sibling with a hard look, "Dantae and Helen found her, while trying to track down her killers of course, living in El Paso Texas." He let that sink in, a bitter smirk crossing his face, "I guess she decided to run home, so to speak."

He leaned back, folding up the Times into well measured quarters, "She's getting married at the end of the month, to some young jerkoff type. And, as it turns out," his look darkened even further, "...she's pregnant." He tossed the paper aside; a look of real felt pain seeping through that mask of neutrality he'd tried so hard to put on.

Regarding Budd, he leaned forward across the table, "She fucked me over Budd, worse than any woman ever could even have fathomed," his voice had dropped to a deadly but emotional whisper, "I can't even begin to describe to you how much," he paused, "...this hurts. But, I can tell you, I will do my damndest to make sure she gets a pretty good idea before I end her betraying life."

He leaned back, grimacing with obvious emotional disarray. "Oh, and Aiyana's dead, I killed her this morning," he added flippantly.

Budd stood there flabbergasted. He didn't speak, but with tightly knit together brows and his mouth in a tight line, he marched pasted Bill, through the patio doors, and out onto the courtyard. Nikishi was outside with the hose spraying away the deep crimson that stained the cobblestones. Off to the side covering a body was a pale blue sheet seeping with blood. "Fucking Christ," he swore loudly; whipping off his cowboy hat in the process.

He had to think before approaching Bill. He had to put two and two together. So, Aiyana was dead, that was obvious. Poor girl and Budd was getting too like her, and not in that perverted sense either. Aiyana was dead…but…Beatrix was alive. What the fuck? He began to move the cowboy hat back and forth against his chest in a fanning motion. Budd decided quickly that he would approach Bill about the woman that was dead later, and let his concern waver on the woman that was supposed to be dead.

Finally he came back inside to find Bill cleaning off his breakfast from the table. Budd was still clutching to his hat, moving back and forth subtly, and his complexion was far from perky. "I'm tryin' real hard to get all-a this, Bill," he began slowly, slipping in to a chair at the bar. "…Bea is not dead, she never was dead. She left you, moved to El Paso Texas, is gettin' hitched and got'er self knocked up."

He raked a hand through his brown wavy locks. "Damn, that's…that's fucked up." He glanced over to his brother. "I mean you two were good, right? No fights 'fore she left, arguments, a bad fuck?"

Bill laughed, although it was a short and bitter laugh, "Budd," he smirked, pausing his clean up task, "...to not get too detailed with you, Beatrix and I never had a bad fuck."

Finishing up, he then sat down on the stool next to his brother. He spent a few seconds just staring down at the marble countertop, "As to the rest...," he paused, "...arguing was like morning coffee for us, it was as much foreplay as it was natural...that wouldn't have caused her to run off. She loved arguing with me just as I much as I loved arguing with her. We thrived on that..." He shook his head, fingers clasping onto the edge of the counter, "But...no recent big fights no...in fact, everything was wonderful before she left..." His eyes glazed over with fond memories, "It couldn't have been better...it was..." he trailed off; a cold frown quickly replacing the warm look.

No, he wasn't going to go back to sentimentalizing now. It was far, far too late for that. He'd been through that stage. He was done thinking fondly of Beatrix, for the time being. Right now, what she had done to him far outweighed what she had meant to him. While, in essence the two were tied directly together.

Bill glared death into the countertop, "I don't know what the fuck happened Budd, but I can perhaps take a guess. She lied to me all along...she has always been a wonderfully amazing liar. She led me on...by my obvious deep affection for her, not to mention my...heh," another smirk, "...well either way, she led me on. Perhaps she did this unconsciously...I don't know. But she outwitted me; outplayed me...she played the blonde sex card on me." He shook his head again at his own typical folly, "I'm must be getting weak in my old age Budd. I would never have fallen for such shit when I was younger." That was a highly debatable comment.

"So," he continued on bitterly, "...she couldn't handle just telling me the truth, which isn't in the slightest bit surprising...took advantage of a dangerous assignment situation and took off for Texas. She ran away from the CPA...she ran away from her white trash home...running is in her nature. She found some young guy in El Paso, some guy about the furthest from myself, because...apparently I was not what she wanted, and gets herself knocked up...right away. And finally," he spat, "...always one to secretly want her little white picket fence, she and this asshole decide to get married to live happily ever after."

Which, Bill was pretty fucking sure...they were not going to do.

Even though he could say it, Bill was still trying to convince himself to believe it. God, but if she had lied...she'd lied even beyond his own perception of her capabilities. He had so fully believed her, that she'd loved him, that she'd cared for him. They were so alike, almost...some fucked up soul mates really. She had been the woman to end all women for Bill. She had been it, 'the one', his muse, his woman. It was so difficult to grasp what she had done...even after getting so angry.

"She never loved me Budd," Bill decided in a softer voice, "And no matter how much she hurt me, and no matter how badly I'm going to make her suffer...I'll always love her." He turned on his brother, a look of hurt and anger on his face, "And THAT'S what pisses me off the most!" He balled up a fist, "No matter what she did to me...I'll still love her!" An eerie look returned to him, "When she decided to leave me, I still loved her, when she was fucking that jerk, I still loved her...and when I kill her, Jesus Christ...I'll still love her..."

Bill had learned at a very young age that life wasn't fair. He'd learned to play the unfair game with expertise. Yet, in the end, fair was still a hard concept to grasp.

He bent his head towards the countertop, a hand propping it up. He hadn't wanted to confide in Budd, he hated doing this. And, after a day of complete fury it was nauseating to momentarily fall back into despair. But, he knew it would only be a passing moment. He could already feel that cold sadistic chill creeping up again and was ready to welcome it with open arms.

"She deserves to die Budd," he murmured almost inaudibly.

"We all deserve to die," Budd corrected his brother gently. His elbows were propped up on the counter, hands clasped together in front of him, and his head downcast. "Shit, we've sinned enough to go way beyond hell. But," he gave off an uneasy chuckle. "That don't justify much." He settled down, leaning his chin on his clasped set of hands. His gaze was distant.

In some twisted way it was comforting to know Bill was confiding in him. He knew it was gonna bite him in the ass soon, but for now he wanted to act as some means of support. "I 'ave trouble believin' that she lied 'bout loving you. You could see it not just in her actions but her eyes. She loved ya, Bill. I don't think she woulda lead all as us on like that just too run off. It didn't gain 'er much because she coulda just as easily run off without fucking with you."

He glanced over to Bill, obvious sympathy glowing in his eyes. He paused to collect his thoughts. "I dunno, Bill. If she did leave you cause she was fucking than that's…Well…I thought she had better morals than that. Not too mention common sense." He puckered his lips. "She broke your heart and I was pissed enough 'bout that when she was 'dead' but now that she's alive and well…that gets me even more. But," a single digit extended and he placed it against his lips thoughtfully.

"She deserves to pay for what she did and I'm not sayin' I'm on her side…Hell, I was never much on the bitch's side. I just went along with it cause you were happy. Now that you ain't happy…" He fixed Bill with a serious furrowing of his brows. "I'm not…right…'bout killing 'er….again…cause shit, look what happened to you when you thought she was dead…Is killin' 'er yourself gonna make it…better?"

Bill frowned, casting an icy sidelong glance at his brother, "That's not your choice to make Budd, it's mine. And I say, yes...it is going to make it better, because," he turned to face him, "...knowing that she is still alive, with some other man...that," he emphasized with a finger, "...is a far worse feeling than knowing she's dead." Bill had always been the extremely jealous type. This reaction was hardly all that surprising. "She had died to me, and now it is best I put her back there. I've mourned her death, but I cannot handle being made a fucking fool and letting her simply get away with it." His look became colder, "No, this must end. I will not continue to live knowing she's alive and willingly not with me."

To be a woman on Bill's side was quite something...to be a woman at odds with him, was hell, and Beatrix was Bill's ultimate woman. She, in his mind, had to face the ultimate fate of betraying him.

"And yes," Bill continued, "Perhaps we all do deserve to die, and when that time comes...I will willingly walk towards it. But, for the moment, I am alive and Beatrix soon will not be. There are those who kill before they are killed and those who simply get killed. It's survival of the fittest Budd...survival of the most cruel, cunning, and detached bastard. I have always been the fittest and until somebody else becomes more so, than I will remain." Bill was quickly working back up to his sociopath mode, "I realize my mistake now, and I will not make it again. I will always love that woman...yes...but that does not mean I owe her any leniency or mercy...for...she gave me none."

He slid off the stool, looking harsh, "Maybe she loved me, maybe she didn't...it's an irrelevant point now. What's important now is setting up this kill. Everything must be perfect and you Budd," he pointed at the younger man again, "…will be a part of it if you want to be or not."


	19. Chapter 19

"A wedding…dress…rehearsal," Beatrix allowed the word 'dress' to slip off her tongue in uncertainty. "Isn't that illegal?" The tall blonde arched a slender eye brow. Of course, she was the one to talk about illegal shit, but then again it all came in her 'flawless' act.

"No," Janeen laughed, joined with Erica and Joleen. She shook her head of auburn shaded locks back and forth slowly.

The four women were in the local diner enjoying a 'girl's night out'. Tommy was out with Jack trying to find the perfect tuxedo to rent. Beatrix kept on nagging him too get the tuxedo sooner, but things had put it off and thus Tommy was left too run out to the store a mere week, no less, before the actual wedding.

The past few weeks had been uneventful but in a good way. Bea felt more 'vulnerable,' as she had been informed of by Doctor Herman that she would feel this way as she came into her third trimester. This caused the pregnant blonde to cling too Tommy in a lovable and affectionate way. Not too over possessive and allowing space. Sometimes she thought Tommy would want her to stay that way forever. Beatrix hated feeling that way. She hated feeling vulnerable and her actions sometimes secretly disgusted her, but she played the card none the less. She hadn't been eating out as much, finding home, or Tommy's place, more secure. Her only reason for going out tonight was the absence of Tommy and the need of social interaction.

"Tommy gets random and spontaneous ideas sometimes," Janeen tried to explain to the somewhat unsure blonde. "Hell, he's a big puppy dog," she suppressed a giggle. "But, that doesn't mean he can't take a risk. You're not gonna get bad luck or fined for letting him see you in the dress before the actual wedding." She poked her fork at her Cobb salad idly. "Besides, he's right, you'd look too damn good in that dress to only wear it once. It'd be a waste."

"Janeen's right," Erica agreed, setting down her tall glass of iced tea, "It would be a damn shame for you to only wear it once, you look absolutely amazing in it."

"And screw tradition," Joleen waved a hand, always one to be a little more blunt than the others. "I mean, no offence, but you guys aren't exactly having the most typical wedding anyways...," she smiled, "So, I say why not? Go for it. And that bad luck thing is total bullshit anyways."

She leaned forward, obviously getting ready to tell a story, "Get this, my old college roommate, she was die hard for not letting her fiancée see her in her dress before her wedding. I mean," she emphasized with a French fry, "...she stationed friends around her just to make sure he wouldn't get even the smallest peek before the wedding. Well, he was the kind of guy who liked a good challenge...and he seemed to take this as one. So, as she was getting ready, he literally climbed up to the second story of the church, where the prep rooms were...just to be able to say he'd seen her in her dress before the ceremony." Joleen leaned back, smirking, "He ended up falling off the ledge, inches away from her window, and breaking his neck." She chomped down on her fry.

Erica and the others were just staring at her in silence. "That's awful," Erica breathed; her eyes wide.

Joleen waved a hand, "Eh, he was alright, they had to postpone the wedding a month or so until he could stand up long enough to have the ceremony. But," she smiled, "...he never did get a peak at that dress until the moment she came up the aisle. Just goes to show, don't tempt fate and just do things your way. And, I think your and Tommy's way is to have this dress rehearsal, you in that amazing dress and Tommy in a tux. It'll be perfect." With that she took a long sip from her cola.

Erica was smiling now, "Yeah, weird story Joleen..but yeah...it will be great." She turned to Arlene, "You and Tommy are so cute together anyways."

Beatrix held a thin smile on her face with blue eyes half lidded and downcast as long white digits fiddled with the end of her straw. She was engrossing herself in the sadistic humor of Joleen's story, a feeling she hadn't had in quite some time, and it wasn't entirely unwelcome.

"I mean Arlene, do you really just wanna wear that dress once? Yeah, it took some convincing from us and the store clerk to tell you didn't look fat in it but besides that," Janeen reinforced before chomping down a bite of her salad.

Beatrix snapped out of her reverie and took a long gulp of her diet soda. "You're right, I'd hate for Tommy to break his neck." The only other that found that funny was Joleen, whom snickered behind her napkin.

Beatrix quickly added in a softer more angelic tone, "I just want the wedding to be perfect."

"Don't worry sweetie," Janeen began exchanging glances with the other two.

"This is what they call pre-wedding jitters," Erica explained between a bite of food.

Janeen nodded with reassurance, "It'll go down with a bang, a wedding to be remembered."

The tall blonde stifled a light laugh as she canted her chin down to her chest and just smiled.

* * *

"_If I had to choose… I'd want it quick. Nothing shitty like bleeding to death. Someone could bust a cap in my crown… That or a poison and I'd be content."_

Bill had woken up with a violent start, a cold sweat covering his entire body. He stared up at the ceiling, taking long measured breaths. His bedroom was completely dark, save for the soft glow emitting from a small round nightlight in the adjoining bathroom. The steady ticking of the bedside clock seemed far louder than normal.

Bill wiped a hand across his face, desperately trying to grasp at what had woken him up. It took him a few seconds to snatch onto the rapidly vanishing dream, but with a small smile he was able to clarify what was so important. It hadn't been a dream after all, he remembered now. It was a memory; he'd been thinking about Paris...perhaps dreaming in a sentimental sort of way. And that was when Beatrix's words had sparked a vital connection with his current reality. The memory was pleasant. They had been lying on the floor of their hotel room, engaging in their own sort of strange pillow talk after having made love. Somehow the conversation had turned towards their own desired method of death. Bill was never one to forget much, at least things that he subconsciously thought as possibly important information for later use and for some reason he'd stored those words away...only to remember them just now.

He pushed himself up on his elbows, smirking in the dark. He'd still been formulating the final details of Beatrix's death and now it all became perfectly clear to him. He was going to grant her her final wish, because...well, he owed her that much...for the happiness she had given him when she'd been in his life, for being what she had been...because it really had been so good. Yes, she was going to get what she wanted.

Settling back down on his pillows, contented with his decision, Bill fell into a restful and now emotionally cold sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

The next day, Bill had summoned all of the remaining Vipers as soon as he was up and about. By noon they were all gathered in a familiar fashion in his spotless living room. At the absence of Aiyana, he received a few weird looks, but ignored them for the moment. He would wait until everyone was settled in before he told all.

Now, seated across from Budd, Elle, O-Ren and Vernita, Bill looked at each of them in turn with a neutral controlled expression. His momentarily lapse from sociopathic perfection with Budd yesterday was long gone. He was back with a vengeance; the slicked back hair, perfectly pressed shirt and slacks, polished jewelry, and familiar black cowboy boots rounded out the picture of Bill fully in his ruthless element.

"Now," he began, "I am going to talk and none of you are going to say a goddamn thing until I finish." He spoke in a crisp tone; leaving out the emotional details and comments for the moment, "Dantae and Helen, the tracking team I hired to find Beatrix's killers, did in fact not find her killers, but instead found Beatrix herself. She is quite alive at the moment, residing in El Paso, Texas. She is getting married to a man there at the end of this week...Sunday to be exact, the rehearsal is on Saturday. She is also quite pregnant."

He let that sink in; frowning a little. "Moving on, Aiyana is dead. I killed her during a training session, she was sloppy. So, if any of you are wondering where she went, that is your answer." He quickly moved on from that, "Which brings me to my main focus of this meeting, I have decided to plan a little surprise for betraying Kiddo and those in her wedding party…and all of you will be participating. Congratulations." He added dryly.

He leaned back, "Before continuing, if any of you have anything to say...now is the time." He held up a hand, "I don't want any arguing, yelling at me about Aiyana, attempts to give me pity or reasons for not killing Beatrix. All of these will be ignored by me." He raised his brows, "Now...if you wish, it's your turn to speak..."

The funny thing was, at the moment, no one chose to speak. A stunned silence had accumulated amongst the four Vipers. Everyone was shocked, to say the least, except Budd who unfortunately had received the sharp end of the stick yesterday. The subtle squeaking of the rocking chair the cowboy resided on was dominant noise over the shallow breathing gathered. It was obviously taking a few minutes for everyone to digest the given information.

Eventually the silence was broken by O-Ren's string of heinous Japanese and Chinese swear words. All eyes shifted to the half breed; obviously getting the gist of her words, no one disagreed, perhaps they all agreed.

After O-Ren's rather vile string of international swear words, both Elle and Vernita spoke up at the exact same time.

"Beatrix is still alive!" Elle shrieked, coming partially up to her feet.

"You killed Aiyana?" Vernita shouted eyes on Bill like two hot daggers.

Bill remained coldly neutral to this, "Yes, and...hrm, yes."

"Bitch!" Elle clawed into the couch with her nails.

"Bastard!" Vernita hissed at Bill, her teeth feral.

Bill just gave them a silent roll of the shoulders, as if both of these assumptions were correct enough to not warrant a verbal reply.

"I can't believe you killed Aiyana," Vernita seemed to think this fact was the more important at the moment, "She didn't deserve that...," she pointed at him sharply, "...you know it too. She was a damn good assassin, and you just wanted somebody to kill. That was fucking petty Bill!"

Again, Bill was undaunted, he'd prepared for all of this...not like he couldn't handle it anyways. "Petty or not, she's dead Vernita. I saw the need to rid myself of her and I took it. She should be honored that I killed her."

Vernita just stared at him, her jaw partially open. She couldn't believe it. Aiyana had been the best thing to come into this organization for years...she was even beginning to become friends with her. Just last week they had gone out to dinner together after having shopped almost the entire day.

Bill had done some shit that had really pissed her off over the years, but this topped them all. What a fucking asshole! How could he be so goddamn selfish? If it hadn't of been for him going postal over Beatrix, Aiyana would most likely still be alive. She didn't deserve to get killed over something like that, it was so wrong.

Vernita muttered something under her breath, and folding her arms, glared at Bill continuously. She knew there was nothing she could do. Bill had done what he had wanted, just as he always had...the arrogant prick that he was. And if she spoke up any further, especially right now, she knew she would regret it. But, this only reaffirmed her growing desire to get the hell out of this job.

"Who cares about that dead cow," Elle sneered at Vernita, "Beatrix is alive...," a blood thirsty smile spread across her red lips. "And we get to kill her..."

"Correction," Bill raised a brow, "I get to kill her."

Elle looked a little irritated at this, but she was still relatively happy about this turn of events. Besides, she knew Bill had something up his sleeve, he had a plan...and she was holding out that it would include some brutality to her blonde counterpart before the final kill. And, of course...she was happy to know she'd been right about Bea. She knew that woman would fuck Bill over, and she had. This only presented further opportunities to show her...loyalty to Bill. After what had happened a few days ago between the two of them, she'd been pretty irate...but now...there was a glimmer of hope. She knew better than to approach him now, but...soon...she'd try again. Elle knew that it would easier for Bill to turn to her knowing that Beatrix had betrayed him so completely. So far, it was all working out in the willowy blonde's favor.

She rested her chin in her hand, casting a sadistic eye adoringly in Bill's direction.

Budd was seated there quietly his gaze shifting from Vernita to Elle and back again. It came as no surprise that Elle would be beyond gleeful at her chance to participate in Beatrix's 'murder', but it was a surprise to see Vernita so shaken up about Aiyana. He completely agreed with her. It wasn't fair or right that Bill killed the young woman all because he was irate about Beatrix and she was the only one close enough to take the anger out upon. Bill was selfish and arrogant; usually only one to care about himself or what would benefit him, Budd was interested why Vernita was taking Aiyana's death so seriously when they all knew that Bill was the type A class of bastard, and that type of behavior wasn't out of the norm for him. Well, it had been out of the norm at this point because Bill had been in such a deep pile of self made shit, that how fast he was able to come out of it in full sadistic favor was…frighteningly curious.

"You get to kill her," O-Ren spoke from her spot across the room. Her features remained docile but it was hard to miss the happy turn in her lips. "Well, then, Bill," she crossed arms over her chest in a dainty manner. They all knew how she felt about Beatrix, she despised her as much as the next person, but she was perhaps the only one surprised that Beatrix was alive. She knew everyone doubted that she really had been dead, or questioned it because she had been 'that good', but O-Ren never thought her so. She was silly and even though she was alive it still proved to O-Ren how silly she really was.

"What part do we get to play?"

Bill had thus far pretty much been ignoring every comment and look sent his way, sitting there looking haughty and untouchable. Now, he snapped into action.

"Ah, so glad you asked that question O-Ren," he said, leaning forward with a small smile. "I have, of course, devised a little plan."

Vernita tried not to make a face. Of course Bill had a plan, he always had a plan, he was oh so fond of plans. Fucker.

"After some thought," he continued, "it occurred to me how fitting it would be to crash this little wedding of hers." Well, perhaps more ironic to him then them...but fuck them, this was his plan. "Yet, to keep secrecy more intact, I have decided the wedding rehearsal the day before will be a better choice. It's a perfect setup; we already have the locale and the time. I see it like this," his voice grew more intense as he described the plan, "...I will show up first, most likely in a separate car. I want some...time with her, before the rest of you arrive." He didn't go into detail about this...it needn't concern them. "Give me...fifteen minutes and I assure you...she won't see it coming," he smirked, "...by the time the rest of you show up, probably all in one or two cars, I'll have her so lulled that no amount of her killers instincts are going to save her." He paused, considering all of that, "Now, all of you will be armed, I want some serious heat...automatic firearms, semis whatever you can carry in with you. I can't say for sure about many people are going to be there for the rehearsal, but I'm going to take a guess and say this is a small wedding party. I'd prepare for about eight to fifteen tops. The four of you will march in; through the front door...it's at a chapel, likely a small building. It will be an easy killing ground, a single room, aisle...that whole thing. I want the massacre of the party to be quick, I don't care who kills who...just kill them all, efficiently. I will most likely kill the never to be groom before any of you get a chance, but either way, leave him for me." Bill wanted that kill to be a little more...personable.

He leaned back, letting all of that sink in. "As for Beatrix herself...don't kill her with the rest. If you do...I will kill you." He said this in a way that left no room for doubt. "She will probably try to do something, but being pregnant as all hell...she's not going to be able to do much. I'm sure she'll try though," he chuckled and not without some deep adoration. "Get her off her feet at least, barrel to the head...something...just take her down for the moment. Once the rest of the party is dead, then," he gestured to the roomful of Vipers; his voice suddenly cold, "...I grant all of you the right to beat the utter living shit out of her."

Elle's eye widened in disbelief and complete joy at Bill's words. She never thought she'd hear him say something like that...

Bill was smirking, quite bitterly, obviously attempting to hide any emotional weight to all of this, "I know ya'll have been dying to give her a good beating for sometime, so...here's your chance. Do whatever you want, but..." he emphasized with a glare, "...again, no killing her. I want her to suffer considerably, inflict pain how you will."

Vernita was now completely focused in on Bill. She had always known he was a cold bastard, but this...having them beat the shit out of a pregnant woman...whom he not so long ago was desperately in love with...well, it was possibly the coldest thing she'd ever seen Bill propose. Not that she wasn't so looking forward to it of course...

"Once she's suffered enough, I'll give the signal," Bill continued, still looking cold, "Then, it's my turn. I...," he trailed off, finally showing a brief moment of emotion, "...I'll put that woman out of her misery...I will give her the luxury of putting the pain I inflicted on her a quick and merciful end...something she did not do for me."

He fell silent, frowning darkly down at the floor.

"Jesus Bill..." Vernita whispered.

"Fuck, it's great!" Elle smiled that wide chilly smile of hers.

Bill remained silent.

Budd made a low noise in his throat that usually signified a certain feeling towards a certain plan….idea.

Now, Bill's brother, his 'only' living blood was and still was shocked by the news of Beatrix being alive, and how it had now turned beyond the point of Bill being hurt. She fucked him over, broke his heart and that was his only reasons for somewhat willingly going along with Bill's plan. Other than that he was utterly against it. He was disappointed in Beatrix and Bill for whatever shit the two of them had started and how it was now going to end.

Those soft brown eyes of O-Ren watched Bill. Her face was void. Her feelings towards the whole ordeal? Well, she wasn't against it, that was sure as hell, but she wasn't as ecstatic as Elle. Sure she wanted the blonde bitch dead and beating the shit out of her was the next best thing. There had been countless times she wanted to commit a violent act against her, but she had always been the rational one of the group and unlike Elle and Vernita she never showed these feelings outwards. Such as Elle and Beatrix's constant bickering that could turn hostile, or Vernita's lashing out of uncontrolled anger. No, O-Ren when she had had a problem with the woman she used other tactics; ones that wouldn't get her penalized or accused of. This time she was being given the full out okay from Bill, and she wasn't about to pass up a once in a life time opportunity.

"Everything sounds perfect. You couldn't have thought up a more efficient plan," the half breed commented lightly, a tight smile in the equally gloomy as he was sadistic, Bill. She loved it when he turned into this mind set; pure sociopathic brilliance. "But," she held up a single digit to emphasis her turn of weightiness. "I have to question…She's pregnant. You're killing off two birds with one stone…though the second bird can be tricky. Sometimes they don't die, because they are protected by the first bird. What about that little bird?"

Bill didn't skip a beat; he'd anticipated this question as well, although not from O-Ren. He pursed his lips; running with the metaphor, "The second bird is inconsequential. It will most likely die, and to that...I have no remorse. Death in a warm womb will be a blessing over the life it would probably end up living."

Once again, Vernita was shocked; Beatrix was one thing, but an innocent unborn child was another. It did not deserve to die, it had not betrayed Bill. Ah, but perhaps its very presence was a betrayal to Bill. Still, Vernita was not hot on the idea, and her mood darkened again.

"If the child lives," Bill continued, "Then so be it...I'm not going out of my way to kill it, only Beatrix." Bill firmly believed he was not a baby killer, unless of course that baby happened to be in the way of what he wanted...in that case, nothing mattered. He leaned back; frowning at the silent reactions of those in front of him, "That situation cannot be helped; I would...prefer it not be that way, but Beatrix was the one who got pregnant. I had nothing to do with it, I will not cater to her state, and thus I don't really care" Hell, he'd...prefer none of this had ever happened; but, it had, and now it was going to end...pregnant or not.

"Shit," Elle sneered, still sadistically happy. "That's fucked up...I like it."

Vernita pressed her lips together, preferring to stay silent on this one. She could tell there was no stopping Bill. Well, there was never any stopping Bill, but now even more so.

"They don't call me a cold murdering bastard for nothing," Bill muttered, more to himself than anyone, but he still appeared totally unaffected.

Budd narrowed his eyes on his brother with a blatant 'no shit' etched across his disgruntled features. He settled back in his rocking chair with hands clenched firmly to the arms. He wasn't as upset as before, only to the fact that Bill wasn't going to go out of his way to kill Bea's unborn child. Technically he still was killing an unborn baby that perhaps its only mistake was being conceived to begin with; therefore, it still wasn't comforting…..but what could he do? Nothing. That was the way it worked.

"Let's order something to eat," Budd proposed as he usually did to melt the cold barrier in the room.

"No pizza," O-Ren immediately replied. She went back to appearing calm and collected; not giving a shit either way about anything.

"Did I say pizza?" Budd questioned with a snap in his tone. He rubbed a hand on the back of his neck. "I said something. Something can mean anything."

Bill shot a venomous cold look at his brother. Budd was so easy to read, another thing that annoyed the shit out of him when it came to his younger brother. What a fucking moron. It was so blatantly obvious that Budd didn't agree with any of this, when he should be the staunchest supporter of them all...being his very sibling, his own flesh and blood, having seen how Beatrix had fucked him over so. He, out of all of them, had no right to disagree. Then again, Budd had always been on the weak side of things...a serious, serious flaw in Bill's eyes.

Bill rose to his feet, chin raised, glaring at Budd in a highly unsettling and haughty manner. "That's a fucking pathetic tactic Budd," he said softly, "I'm sick and tired of you ordering shitty food at my house..."

Both Elle and Vernita had stopped their whispering conversation to stare up at Bill. They remained utterly still, knowing that pompous and uneasy glint in his eye. Something had set Bill off...well, besides the obvious that is, and he was just looking for a fight. Neither of them moved nor spoke, afraid to be the ones to cause an outburst.

But Bill was completely focused in on his brother. "No pizza, no...nothing," he hissed. "Goddamnit Budd, it would be a real shocker, if for once you actually grew a fucking spine and stopped being such a pussy about things. This isn't your little evening to have a few beers and pizza...to hide behind your shitkicking fucking attitude, laughing it up like a half-wit. No," Bill remained quiet, but, as is known, this was not always a good thing, "..this is my fucking meeting, I am sick of bullshit!"

Elle's eye flicked to Budd. Vernita stared at the far wall. O-Ren creased out a wrinkle in her blouse. Bill rarely ever brought up shit with Budd in front of them...apparently he'd felt the need to do so now, surely on purpose of course.

The rocking chair squeaked.

Budd remained uncharacteristically composed. Budd was used to Bill's verbal lashing and degrading comments, it was a supportive factor in their relationship, but sometimes Bill took it too far; such as now. It wasn't just that Bill brought it up in front of everyone, but more so the current topic it revolved around. He didn't like Bill's plan, and he wasn't going to support his decision any time soon. This didn't go to say he was on Bea's side either, and he certainly wasn't on Bill's side. He was on neither because they both had been so fucking stupid.

Bill had been stupid enough to fall for Beatrix, and Beatrix was stupid enough to play it up. In Budd's mind they both deserved a shot in the ass for that. But it wasn't his choice and it certainly wasn't his place to voice his opinions because no one would listen. He was always playing second against Bill, following in Bill's footsteps willingly or not. It wasn't a choice. Budd wasn't ungrateful for Bill, he loved Bill, but the man was such a fucking bastard sometimes. But then again, Bill knew that.

Slowly and methodically Budd rose from his chair, lips puckered up, and hands in his pockets. "Mrm…right." Cool brown eyes skimmed the area. "I'll be headin' out." He took a step into the open and turned to the exiting hallway. "I'll see ya'll on Saturday." And with that he left. He wasn't going to fight back when it didn't mean jackshit; just like he did.

Bill watched his brother exit, hard eyes following him down the hallway and out the front door with an intense glare. For a brief second, he looked as if he was going to say something else, but he remained silent, his cruel and degrading silence far worse than the words that could have been said.

Bill knew how Budd felt, he knew what his younger brother thought of him and the whole situation...and yes, in the end, it didn't mean a damn thing to him. In the end, Bill was the most important to Bill. It had always been that way really, thus why Bill knew why Budd had taken all of that with a steely disgusted resolve. His younger brother had been witness and victim to Bill's egomaniacal behavior for over thirty years.

Bill turned back towards the others, wearing an expression that only encouraged them to remain in their silent states. His eyes flashed over each of them. He held them locked like that for a few long seconds; enjoying the moment of silent intimidation. Then with a sharp intake of breath he turned and stalked down the hallway.

"I'll call each of you before Saturday," he said quietly, not bothering to look at them as he walked away, "Don't leave town." With that, he disappeared into the depths of the hallway.

Vernita, Elle and O-Ren all exchanged looks.


	21. Chapter 21

The waiting room was painted the color of egg shell with a border of vibrant blue and yellow stars. Not entirely comfortable chairs were scattered along the walls where various people were seated. Off to the right was a desk incased with sliding glass windows where nurses chattered away frantically. Seated in one of the nearby chairs was Beatrix. She was wearing a pair of khaki colored loose jeans, an equally loose but still flattering long sleeved shirt of a pale indigo, and a pair of black flip flops. An arm was casually draped over her bulging stomach and the other hung on the arm of the chair. Those stunning blue eyes scanned the area and watched the various occupants.

Her reason for being at the doctor's office? A routine check up. Tommy had insisted on closing the store early and going with her, but she insisted right back at him that she was fine and the store needed to stay open. Thus was her reason for being alone in the waiting room. But she didn't stay alone for long. A woman perhaps five or so years older than Beatrix walked through the oaken door with the sticker letters that read 'waiting room'. The woman came with a stroller and obvious tummy. She sat one seat down from the tall blonde and parked the stroller in front of the vacant seat between the two women. Upon doing this Beatrix was inclined to peer into the stroller. Inside was an adorable baby. Smooth rosy pink skin, pudgy cheeks, a bonnet that was a powder blue color, and a blanket draped over the small form with a rubber duck on the front. He was fast asleep.

"Oh, is he bothering you?" The woman spoke up after settling down a large over stuffed bag on the floor.

The tall blonde looked up and shook her head. "No, of course not. He's adorable."

"Thanks, well, you're seeing him at his best. Sleeping," the woman laughed light heartily and settled back in her chair. "I'm Sally and that towhead is Dennis."

"I'm Arlene." She twiddled her fingers at the sleeping baby Dennis, but all the baby did was goo in his sleep. It was too cute. She smiled at Sally.

"Your first?" Sally made a motion to Beatrix's stomach. The blonde gave a firm nod.

"I'm on my second. No fucking clue why I got myself pregnant so soon again after Dennis was born. They are a handful, but too cute to only have one I guess."

Beatrix watched Sally in a concealed fascination, a smirk curved across her features. "I'll stick with one for now."

Sally smiled knowingly, giving the blonde a little nod of her head, "Smart move, yes stick to just one for now." She groaned, hands resting on her own swollen belly, "Can't say I'm looking forward to another round of sleepless nights. But," a sweet smile creased her face, "...in the end it's all worth it. You never really know what it's like to be a mother until it happens...no matter how much you think you do. But believe me," her smile widened, "...it's better than you can even imagine...the best feeling in the world." Her eyes creased warmly at the blonde.

Just then, a faint cooing emitted from the comfy confines of the stroller.

Sally laughed lightly, "See what I mean?"

"Arlene Machiavelli?" A nurse called down the hallway, head peering around a door. She spotted Arlene quickly, who had become somewhat of a regular at Dr. Herman's office. She grinned, "The doctor will see you now."

Sally gave Beatrix a quick wave and a smile as the tall blonde stood up to follow the nurse down the hallway and into the indicated exam room. Always prompt, Dr. Herman entered the room a few minutes later, after the nurse had done the routine simple exam of course.

"Ah, Arlene," Dr. Herman greeted her as he entered the room, eyes shining behind his glasses. "Good to see you again, you look well...and everything looks great on your initial exam." Dr. Herman, despite having some ethical issues with Arlene, had grown quite fond of her. His view of her had improved rather drastically when she had informed him that she had in fact told Tommy, her fiancée, that the baby was not his. The doctor had been positive that Arlene would keep her secret, just that…a secret for as long as possible. But she had surprised him with her honesty over the matter. He could only hope she would remain thus so throughout everything.

He sat down the stool across from her, "A little treat today Arlene," he smiled gently, "We're going to take some ultrasound pictures. I think your going to love this, your daughter is going to be very well formed at this point...I bet," he grinned at her, pushing his glasses down his nose, "...we're going to get some great pictures for you."

He stood, "So, let's go down the hall and see...what we can see."

Beatrix eagerly hoped off the table and followed the doctor out of the room and ventured the short distance down the hallway. She was still clad in a classic hospital gown but she had moved up from the paper and onto the flimsy cotton material; but it didn't make her feel any warmer in the hallway. The room Doctor Herman brought her into was tiny but it wasn't cramped. The lights were dimmed down, giving the area a pleasant atmosphere. There was an examination table in the far corner of the room and next to it was the massive ultrasound machine. Beside that was a stool and to the right was a set of cabinets.

"You can have a seat, Arlene and I'll be back in one moment. The nurse will be in shortly to prep you," Doctor Herman instructed warmly before exiting the room.

Beatrix slipped onto the table, the thin tissue paper crunching beneath her form as she lay back and became moderately comfortable. Now more than ever was she glad Tommy wasn't with her. She always enjoyed his emotional and enthusiastic presence during her past doctor visits, but she knew that if he came today Doctor Herman would not have offered her the chance to get an ultrasound. Yes, Tommy knew he wasn't the father but she also knew it'd be emotionally hard for him to see pictures of a child that genetically wasn't his. As well as he was taking it and as supportive as he was being, she didn't find that fair. Perhaps this was somewhat selfishly derived but she didn't think much of that factor.

Soon enough the door did open and in walked a nurse. She was short, not overly skinny; her skin was a light mocha color, and she had a wet black hair that was tied into a tight bun. The wrinkled creases on her face showed the woman wasn't in her prime any longer. She was dressed in classic white and wore a welcoming smile. "Hello Miss Machiavelli, let's get you ready, shall we?"

The nurse moved over to the cabinet and withdrew a blanket which she soon after draped over the blonde's lower half. "You know," she began in tender conversation. "We can print a picture from the ultrasound." Beatrix arched a curious grow at the nurse.

"I remember when I had my third child I put the picture up on the refrigerator." This time Beatrix laughed well naturedly. The nurse beamed warmly at the young woman. "Well, I'll go tell Doctor Herman you're all set." And she turned and exited the room.

Dr. Herman reentered and sat behind the ultrasound machine, the screen reflecting off of his glasses. A secondary monitor was facing towards Arlene, so she could see what Dr. Herman was seeing. He'd been right; through the slight murkiness of the picture, it was easy to make out a well formed baby. Head, toes, fingers, limbs and torso were all there and where they should be. The baby was even moving, although they were very slow movements.

Dr. Herman couldn't help but smile as he went about doing this. He chatted with Arlene about what would and would not be fully formed and functional at this stage in the baby's growth. He also pointed out those little facts that doctor's loved to drop.

"Oh, I forgot," he announced and flipped over a switch. A steady whooshing sound emitted from a small speaker on the machine. "The sound of the womb Arlene...the first thing our newly formed ear canals ever take in..."

He remained silent from then on, letting Arlene take in the whole experience while he set up everything and took some pictures.

Once everything was finished, Dr. Herman detached Arlene from the machine and led her back to the initial exam room. Informing her he would be back in a few minutes and that she could change back into her clothing. About ten minutes later he returned with a folder under his arm.

Smiling, he spread its contents over the counter...the contents being a handful of ultrasound pictures printed out on a plastic kind of transparent film; the type x-rays are on. He held each one up to the florescent ceiling lighting so they could both get a good look.

"It's a hard choice Arlene," Dr, Herman muttered as they looked at the last photo, "But, I think my favorite one...is this one...," he snatched the second photo from the pile. It was probably the clearest of all the photos. The baby's head was slightly turned towards the camera, showing the presence of both eyes; which looked like little black beads at the moment. The baby was obviously trying to work her left hand, and the fingers were spread out in a grasping gesture. "What do you think?" Dr. Herman said, glancing at her, "Whichever you choose is you're to take home and keep. I have an ultrasound picture for each of my daughters...granted, they aren't as clear as the pictures nowadays, but they are beautiful things to hold on to."

Bright blue eyes looked over each sonogram with careful procession and deep concentration. Seeing her daughter, fully, in a sense gave her a feeling that was hard to place into words. Perhaps it was what she had been told by numerous women. Nothing compared to the feeling of knowing she created that life instead of destroying it; which was something special.

It was a shame she could only keep one but, she probably wouldn't have room in her pocket to carry around all of them. But then again she couldn't fold up the stiffened x-ray like picture and put it in her pocket either. She made a quick mental note to stop by the post office to make a photocopy. That she could carry it around.

She gingerly picked up the ultrasound picture the doctor had pointed out as his favorite. A single digit extended and traced the outline of her daughter's black and white shaded, transparent features. She was beautiful. Beatrix could tell the obvious even in black and white. The idea of that pretty little girl being born soon made the blonde giddy with excitement and absolute bliss. She couldn't wait to be a mother and raise her daughter 'appropriately'. Being a mother was perhaps something she had wanted all her life…besides, she already knew that her unborn baby was what made her really fucking happy and that made everything else fit.

"I think I'll listen to the good doctor and take his advice," she stated fiercely with a warm smile. She took up the spare manila folder and slipped her take home picture inside for safe keeping. The tall blonde then slowly and calmly locked eyes. "I appreciate this…allot."

Dr. Herman was watching Arlene closely, smiling. There was no missing the twinkle in the tall blonde's eyes as she took in the ultrasound pictures. He remembered that feeling, going in with his wife and seeing his first child like that. He thought that had been something, but when he actually had seen his daughter being born...well...that surpassed all. Then again, he was a doctor; a lot of men weren't big on that moment.

He blinked, coming back to the present and patting Arlene on the shoulder. "My pleasure Arlene, I'm looking forward to seeing your daughter out in this world. Now," he got back to business, "...I want to see you again in two weeks. Things are going to start getting much more uncomfortable for you soon, so please...be careful and call me if anything is bothering you, alright?"

Dr. Herman shuffled together the other ultrasound pictures to be filed away in Arlene's records. He opened the door for her, "Take care Arlene," he smiled, giving her shoulder one last squeeze before she walked up towards the waiting room; the slightest waddle in her pregnant steps.


	22. Chapter 22

Bill was up long before the sun even rose on that fateful Saturday. This wasn't atypical for him, but he'd been up even earlier than normal. He went about his morning routine with a sort of slow decisiveness; fully aware of what he would do later that day. Every single thing he did during the course of the morning, from making tea, to working out, to shaving...it was all a gradual set up for the events to follow. He showed no hesitation or real emotion during all of this, he simply did...with cool stoicism and a calm air of introspective resolve.

The decision had already been made for him. Beatrix had made it when she'd left him and broken his heart so cruelly, and he had finalized it when he chose to respond in a surpassingly cruel way. It was all clear to him now, the path that he had taken to get here and the path he would walk on after this. At least, that is what he thought at this current time.

Bill had gotten a hair cut the previous day. Of course, with Bill hair "cut" meant something just above the shoulders, nothing more. He had decided his hair was getting too long and for some odd reason that reminded him of Beatrix. He 'cleansed' himself of that reminder, so to speak. Now, sitting at the kitchen table, he read the paper as calmly as always, having donned a robe after his post workout shower. The usual cup of green tea sat at his elbow. In all appearances he did not look like a man who was about to shoot the woman he loved in the head in a mere few hours.

Nikishi had shown up around seven, a full two and half hours after Bill had already been up. She'd done some routine cleaning and was quietly happy not to find anything broken or any dead bodies lying around. Bill had thrown her a few curve balls lately, ones she wasn't even sure she could handle again. But now, he seemed to have settled into some sort of placid state, which wasn't really any more comforting than before.

"The rehearsal is today, yes?" Nikishi asked softly as she folded linens on the counter behind Bill.

"Yes," Bill replied equally as softly, still reading the paper.

Nikishi knew all about what was going to happen today; it had been a topic of much interest in the house over the past week. She, like some of the Vipers, had mixed feelings. But, unlike the others, she had thus far been completely silent about her reservations. She hadn't looked Bill in the eye the entire week, afraid he'd catch the glint of disapproval in her own eye.

"You will leave soon?" She spoke again, deft fingers folding the material.

"In two hours," Bill answered, voice and posture unchanged, "It will take a few hours to drive there. I want to have at least an hour surplus before the rehearsal starts. I have informed the Vipers to be here at nine. We will have a short meeting, and then leave in separate cars."

Nikishi looked up from her work, turning to him, "You will kill them all...all of them in the church." This wasn't delivered as a question.

Bill glanced up from his paper for the first time, steely glance falling on the Japanese woman. He looked at her for a few long seconds before replying. "I killed a man in a church once...I've smoked weed behind a church, I even set fire to a temple in Japan." He picked his paper back up with a snap, "The location is irrelevant."

Nikishi pursed her lips and bowed her head to return to her work, but she stopped again. "The baby?"

Bill looked up again with a tinge of annoyance. He'd already been over this goddamn subject once. "Not my concern." He replied coolly.

"I," she faltered, "...I...think Beatrix will make a good mother."

This time Bill turned towards Nikishi, folding the paper in half, "Would…have made a good mother," he corrected. "She was also a good killer, a good lover, a good driver and a good liar. It's all irrelevant Nikishi," he stood, setting the paper aside for the moment "..and after today, even Beatrix herself will become irrelevant." He walked up next to Nikishi; who immediately went back to folding.

He picked a piece of dirt off of one of the folded swatches of linen, and held the minuscule thing up in front of Nikishi's face with a frown.

Bowing her head, Nikishi nodded a few times and silently picked up the offending piece of linen and walked out of the kitchen to see to it.

Bill then turned and sat back down at the table to read without anymore annoying interruptions.

* * *

The bedroom was filled with a vibrant glow that seemed to only exaggerate the bliss within the area. A low string of classic rock on the radio was playing over the rushing water admitting from the bathroom. Tommy was in the shower, freshening up for the big day and Beatrix was situated in the bedroom blowing out her hair. It was Saturday, the wedding rehearsal. 

The tall blonde had felt a tingle of butterflies in her stomach earlier that morning and confessed to Tommy she wouldn't be having this problem if the rehearsal was a simple rehearsal without the dress. Tommy assured her it would fine and then they both proceeded to cuddle before getting up to prepare. It was a pleasant start to the morning and helped ease things along.

Beatrix now stood in front of the full length mirror on the back of the door; dressed in a blue checkered flannel robe that was Tommy's, but that didn't come as a big surprise. In her hand was a brush and in the other was a blow drier which she used to tenderly treat those blonde locks. She knew exactly how she was going to do her hair. Straight, down over her shoulders, and half back with a yellow ribbon. It was going to be perfect. Everything was going to be perfect.

She was getting what she wanted. She was going to have a life she could only fantasize about before. She couldn't have found a nicer man who cared and loved for her, a stable living, a 'calming' job, supportive and trustworthy friends, and most of all, her baby girl.

Yes, all of this was going to be for her little girl, but Beatrix didn't expect to be pleasantly surprised at how much she was benefiting from it. Her life in El Paso was working out and nothing was going to ruin it.

* * *

By the time noon rolled around, Bill found himself driving at 85 miles per hour in his black Ferrari 355 Spider across the expanse of nothingness that was Southern Texas...on the way to El Paso...alone. 

The rest of the Vipers had shown up at his place when instructed to, all of them knowing better than to be late for this occasion. Bill had given them a few select instructions. Sofie had been there, at Bill's request, and her along with the rest of them were left to figure out their own car arrangements. Bill had desired to drive alone, and nobody contradicted that. They had all shown up with the appropriate weaponry and attire as well. And Bill was happy for their professionalism in the face of a rather unorthodox assignment. None of them verbalized any more reservations.

Before anybody had shown up, Bill had dressed in that same slow and methodical manner he'd been displaying all morning; black slacks, white high collared shirt, one of his usual black jackets and, favorite black cowboy boots...casually nice, his usual, nothing that would set Beatrix off that he was up to something. As he did this, he concealed two guns on his person. One, a 44 caliber Beretta pistol, fully loaded...safety on of course. He strapped it into a holster that was fitted into the inside of his jacket, on the right hand side. The other gun, his favorite, the 45 Colt Special revolver, loaded with one bullet only. He slipped that into a leather belt holster that he pulled around to the back and which remained perfectly concealed by his jacket. It took some skill to be able to pull of strapping two guns and look completely natural, but if anybody could do it...it was Bill.

That was the end of his primping. He needn't bother with anything else and by the time the Vipers had shown up, he was more than ready to get on the road.

Now, driving in complete silence, stoic behind a pair of dark sunglasses, he stared ahead at the road in front of him.

Was he looking forward to seeing Beatrix again? Oh yes, more than anything. He would cherish those few minutes they'd have together before she became painfully aware of the real reason for his visit. He didn't worry about being able to lie successfully, that wasn't even a concern; Bill could lie like he breathed air.

He would miss Beatrix after she was gone, there was no doubt about that, but...he'd already been missing her anyways. At least now, he'd have the pleasure of ending it all for her. He didn't hate her. There was no hate behind his actions; he only hoped she'd understand that in those few seconds before she died. In truth, he still loved her, as he'd said all along. But, that didn't' mean that he couldn't' kill her. No love, or any feeling for that matter, could stand in the way of Bill and the redemption he deserved.

Beatrix was simply going to learn the price of what it meant to fuck him over. She had underestimated him. How could she have thought she should just leave him and have a happy little life...after all she'd seen him do, after all she knew about him? She knew what he was capable of, what the fuck was she thinking...?

Who knew, Bill was still clueless as to why. Would he ask her before he killed her? No…..probably not, perhaps because a part of him didn't really want to know. He was better like this, not knowing...better off ending this here and now; better off remaining cold. He'd been weak before, but that would not happen again.

Bill glanced at his own hands, clamped tightly onto the leather steering wheel. Ah, but he needn't forget all the good times he and Beatrix had had together. He remembered everything so clearly, from the moment he'd first seen her, to the moment...he thought, he would last see her. Five years separated those two women, five years and a hell of a lot of experience. He'd taught her so much, nearly everything he knew...damnit, and she'd been so good. And that was what hurt the most...that she could do this after all he'd done for her. Then again, he knew better, she was a killer and a liar like himself. She would then die a killer and a liar's death. She would die the death she had requested.

With a sudden movement, Bill turned the wheel of the car and pulled over onto the side of the straight expanse of highway. He sat there for a moment, staring out the windshield and then got out of the car. The dusty air was already hot under the midday sun. He took a few steps off the road and onto the low brown shrubbery. The weight of the guns was a comforting feeling as he stood there, hands in his pockets, gazing across the empty parched fields.

One might think that he was having a moment of hesitation or remorse...but that wasn't it. Bill did not hesitate nor did he feel remorse. He'd spent his entire life, from childhood to the old bastard he was now, lacking hesitation, self doubt and remorse. That wasn't to say that he didn't take moments to reflect on things. And right now, he was reflecting on Beatrix.

Who was Beatrix Kiddo really? She'd been a skinny feisty trailer girl when he'd met her. Before that, he knew little...and beyond small moments of curiosity, he was not all that concerned. What he was concerned with was what she could become. And boy, had she impressed him in that category. She had become the best he'd had. She'd become perhaps more than even he had anticipated. She was...really, an amazing person, his favorite person. It was really quite fucking shitty that he would have to kill her. He'd never meet another like her...that he was sure of.

It could have been quite something, if she hadn't betrayed him. What would they have become together? Surely, they'd still fight...but that only added charm to their relationship, he would have been disappointed if they had not. But, that wasn't to happen...because they were destined to be nothing more than what they had been; which in itself had been something quite special, as brief as it was.

Bill had had lovers for longer than Beatrix, he'd had lovers who were more outrageous, more experienced...but still...they all paled to Beatrix. He did not regret what they had been, he was extremely grateful for it but, what he did regret, on Beatrix's part, was that she had done this to him. She had forced his hand into this. She knew he was a murdering bastard and she had to know how a murdering bastard would react to being betrayed.

Turning to look across the brown fields, hair whipping in the wind, Bill had a strange sense of déjà vu. It was then that he realized that where he was standing looked quite like the place he'd visualized during one of those horrible substance filled nights after he'd thought Beatrix was dead. The resemblance was uncanny…and somewhat eerie. With a frown, Bill quickly got back in the car and pulled back out onto the highway.

* * *

When a quarter to four rolled around Beatrix was in the back room of the Two Pines Wedding Chapel, allowing herself last minute primping before the rehearsal. The only thing was, she was not primping, not exactly. Sure she was standing in front of the mirror, adorned in that gorgeous white dress engraved with a subtle flower print, a wide v-neck collaring, long lace sleeves, and a lace trim on the bottom. She was standing in side profile to the full length mirror with hands at her sides. 

This was it, the big day, or at least the rehearsal for the big day, either way she couldn't shake that high feeling of euphoria. Finally her dream was coming true. A dream she had dreamt about for ages; a normal life. She thrived on it, and now she didn't need to because she had all she wanted. The idea was almost unreal, but here she was, standing in her wedding dress, taking a few moments to reflect on her future; a future with Tommy, her husband, and the 'father' of her child.

On the edge of the mirror, at eye level was a creased and well loved black and white photocopy of her baby's sonogram. Hands settled on her swelling stomach as blue eyes stared fondly at the pixilated picture before her. Just staring at it only proved to the blonde how important and crucial her choice had been. She made the right choice, she was positive. No, more than positive, she didn't have a fucking thought in the world against it. And it wasn't because she was egotistic or selfish but because she had faith.

She had faith that everything would work out in favor of her baby girl. Her baby deserved all of this. Beatrix didn't have a doubt against it and even if she had, she had long since washed those daunting thoughts away and came to the point of lying so much she was believing her lies. A fault of her own, but she didn't give a damn; it was working.

Hands came up to tighten the yellow ribbon behind her head, pulling back blonde locks into a half pony tail style. She stood full frontal to the mirror. She was perfect, everything was perfect. She plucked off the photocopy paper from the side of the mirror and gave her little girl a loving kiss. Then she walked over, folded up the paper, and secularly stuffed it back into her bag.

Turning she slipped on those neon pink flip-flops and that blissful pregnant blonde walked out to rehearse her wedding.

* * *

Four-thirty in the afternoon. Bill had been in El Paso for about an hour. He'd called Budd on his cell phone and they had had a short conversation. The Vipers arrived in town about a half an hour after Bill. They did not meet, but continued on with their plan. Bill would arrive at the chapel first. Then, ten...fifteen minutes later the Vipers would show up. Bill left the details of organization up to his brother. This was a fairly straightforward ambush, Budd could handle it. 

According to Bill's sources, the rehearsal was scheduled for four that afternoon. He decided to give the wedding party a little time to settle in for the rehearsal. He didn't have much interest in the wedding party, the reverend, or the groom. He had come to talk to Beatrix before the massacre, he'd socialize as needed beyond that. They were all going to die either way.

Bill parked his car a good hundred feet from the chapel. Beatrix would easily be able to spot his style of vehicle if spotted. He instructed the Vipers to do likewise with their own cars.

Getting out of his car, Bill removed his sunglasses and squinted across the dusty road at The Two Pines Wedding Chapel. He'd parked pretty much behind it, but it was obvious the building was a fairly small one, in the traditional Texas Southwestern style. It was quant and old school. He rather liked it actually.

Ducking back into the car, Bill reached for his flute that he'd stowed in the backseat. This was one of his oldest flutes. He'd played this particular one, a bamboo chute of roughly two feet, for Beatrix a number of times. It was part of his plan as well.

Buttoning his black jacket, he locked up his car and after making a quick visual sweep of the surrounding area he slowly headed for the chapel. There wasn't a soul around, seeing as this particular chapel was situated a few miles out of El Paso, just off the highway. It was quiet and deserted; a perfect location for what was about to occur.

Bill took his time walking there; his boots kicking up the fine dust that covered the ground, his flute in one hand. He remained completely calm throughout this walk to the chapel. Throughout his life, he'd had a number of "moments"...slices of time that seemed sharper and more real than others. This was one of those moments.

There wasn't much more to go over mentally. He'd been through the various stages of thought and angst over the last few months. He'd thought mostly about Beatrix the entire time and now, about to meet with her one last time, he began to slowly detach himself from those thoughts of her. He was ready to be done with this, but...before that time came, he'd have one last good moment with her; for old times sake.

Reaching the chapel, he carefully walked around the side, avoiding the few windows. He could hear voices inside, happy voices, young voices. Had he ever been that young or happy? It was hard to imagine really.

Rounding the corner of the building, he stayed clear of the open door and steps, and instead took a big step onto the raised front porch area. Everything was wood, well worn…..again, perfect. There was a long bench on the right hand side of the doorway.

With a small smile of satisfaction, Bill sat down on the bench and placed his flute across his lap. For a few minutes he simply stared across the nearby highway and to the desert landscape beyond. He could distinctly hear Beatrix's voice now, emitting from inside the chapel. She was happy; happy without him.

Looking away with a scowl, he picked his flute up and placed it to his lips. Enough of retrospect, he'd spent three months being a man he was not. It was time Beatrix learned who and what he really was...but first, it was time to charm the Black Mamba one last time.

**Author's Note:**

Hi everyone! Just a quick little note from Mel and I. We all know what chapter is coming up next and for those of you that have been reading with us for this long, especially those from the prequels, we owe you a great deal of thanks! Without your encouraging reviews sharing these fanfics would not be the same.

Again thank you so much to those that have left reviews to tell us that you are still there and still enjoying the story.

The next chapters will be up in time!


	23. Chapter 23

The kiss was broken and all Beatrix could think to do was nestle her forehead serenely against Bill's; hands settled against the sides of his face, and a conflicted smile of emotion on her own face. This action was reserved just for him, she never allowed such physical contact with anyone, not even Tommy. It was Bill's, just like she was still his, the baby inside was still his, yet he was allowing her to be someone else's. That was what made it all right. He was letting her go and approving of the life she so desperately wanted for herself and her daughter.

Beatrix knew he didn't fully approve of it and that it had to be hard, but the mere fact he was there supporting her meant the world to her. The moment she'd heard the methodic and charming melody of the flute, and after the alarm passed, she was left with a smile that wouldn't leave her face.

If the wedding had been perfect before, it was beyond the point of being perfect now. Bill was here, with her, and fuck she had missed him. The last man on her mind had been the man she owed everything to. Slowly she broke the action between them and shimmering blue eyes locked with his hardened brown ones. She stared a moment longer.

Beatrix could only think of one more way to show her gratitude. It wasn't with another kiss; she had moved past the point of allowing actions to speak for words. She owed him better. Her lips pursed and she spoke up in a clear whisper, "Thank you." Her hands then slipped from him as she took a step back, her smile was soft, and she turned to walk down the aisle.

Bill stared at the retreating figure of Beatrix as she heavily made her way up towards the altar to continue on with the rehearsal.

There was a moment, a brief barely noticeable on the outside moment, where Bill felt a pang of strong remorse for what he was about to do her. What had just happened had not been in his plan. He had not planned on her coming back to him like that...in fact, he had unbuttoned his jacket in preparation to get the massacre underway, but then she had turned and walked back to him.

He could see the thankfulness and relief on her face as she stood closely in front of him. This meant so much to her...his presence...his support. She thought he was letting her go. He had her completely believing in his false act of coming here to have a 'last look'; although, that was true in its own darkly ironic way. He had played it perfectly of course, letting her believe he was willing to give her up, while showing a respectable amount of disapproval, disappointment, charm and moments of being a typical smart ass. He had done what he had to do, it had been fairly easy...up until now.

She had asked him if she looked pretty. What else could be said but, "Oh yes"...for she did, she looked absolutely radiant. At that moment, he couldn't even remember any woman ever looking that beautiful. She was breathtaking...and the real sting of it all...was that he was about to put a bullet into that beautiful head of hers.

When she had first leaned in to kiss him sweetly, he had made a slight effort to pull away...he didn't want her to kiss him. But, as stoic and unfeeling as he remained, he couldn't help but take a moment of serene pleasure in that kiss. And when she had kissed him the second time, which would have been a little questionable if he was indeed her 'father' as she had so wittily had her young man believing, he had allowed himself to drop the sociopaths shield for just a second or two, as the brief contact brought on a flood of extremely fond memories. She still did it all right; her hands on his face, the way she settled her forehead against his...it was all painfully familiar...everything that had transpired between them, everything that they had shared.

Then, she'd pulled away and thanked him...and that was when that small morsel of regret began to press up against his chest. It was not a comfortable feeling, remorse...he wasn't used to it, it didn't suit him. But, he kept it securely wrapped underneath that mask of steely calm. He knew the feeling would pass momentarily.

That had been it, his last sweet moment with Beatrix Kiddo, and he couldn't have pictured it any more perfect than that. He was consoled to see the adoration in her eyes when she looked at him...that meant something. It didn't mean enough for him to really think twice about what he was about to do, but it did at least mean something to him.

He'd had his moment of sweet sentimentality, now...it was time to become what he had been born to become, who he really was...a cool murdering bastard.

Blinking, he ridded himself of the last bits of emotional 'baggage' that were weighing him down. A killer did not feel, a killer did not sentimentalize, a killer did not care...did not love so unconditionally as to let such a betrayal go unrequited. He was a killer and Beatrix should have known better than to betray a killer.

Now, she would know...oh yes, she'd become very aware of it.

Standing stoically at the end of one of the pews, he waited patiently for the Viper's entrance. He continued to watch Beatrix, even when he could faintly hear the soft crunch of four pairs of feet approaching the open entrance of the chapel.

"What the hell…?"

Beatrix whipped around, her smile dropped along with her stomach, and her facial features contorted into a look of complete and total shock. Standing at the entrance of the chapel was four figures dressed entirely in black, all handling heavy fire arms. O-Ren, Elle, Vernita, and Budd, she'd know those faces anywhere; except seeing them here, at her wedding.

The distinct clicking of bullet chambers echoed through the silence, and that's when Beatrix snapped. They weren't here to support her and….neither was Bill. Oh God…

"NO! BILL!" And within those five seconds that she came to realize what was going on, her killer instincts burst out of concealment. The loud heinous sound of gun fire dominated the screams.

The tall blonde watched for a mere two seconds in stunned disbelief until she realized she had to move. Tommy was on her right and without a second thought she abruptly and forcefully pushed him out of the line of fire. Both groom and bride fell to the floor behind the set of pews.

Bill barely even gave the four entering Vipers a look; he was too intent watching the bloody tableaux unfolding in front of him. A small sadistic smile crept onto his face as he watched Beatrix go through those few short seconds of realization.

Now she knew. He could see it clearly on her face...she fully realized now, and that made Bill extremely happy. That look on her pretty features almost made his suffering worth it. And, of course, he knew she'd react so professionally, grabbing her fiancée and diving down behind the pews to avoid the bullet spray. Smart girl, she always had been.

Meanwhile, the four young wedding party members, three women and one man...didn't stand a chance. Neither did the reverend and his wife, nor the piano player. Between the heavy fire emitting from the automatic weapons carried by Budd, Elle, Vernita and O Ren, they were all mowed down within thirty seconds. If they didn't die instantly, they were going to very quickly thereafter. Bill didn't pay much attention to them though; they were just the afterthought in this whole thing.

Bill took his few seconds to enjoy the moment, and then making sure he was clear of gunfire, he moved into action. Yanking the 44cal Beretta from his jacket holster with one smooth movement, he marched up the aisle towards the pew that Beatrix and her fiancée had ducked behind for cover; his cowboy boots clomping on the wooden floor. He wore that expression that Beatrix knew all so well, the cold expression of a true killer at work.

He stared down at the two of them. Beatrix was looking at him with the utmost pure hatred and shock. But he didn't fear her in the slightest, there was nothing she could do in her current state and she knew it. Her tall blonde young man on the other hand was staring at him with complete confusion; obviously completely flabbergasted as to what was going on. Stupid fucker.

With a snarl, Bill reached down and grabbed Tommy by the lapels of his tux, whilst still holding onto the gun. Even though Tommy was far larger and far younger than Bill, the power of anger, and stamina of lifelong training made this easily possible. Bill, stared Tommy right in the face with distain. This was the asshole who'd been fucking his woman, the one who'd knocked her up. This was what she had taken over him.

Baring his teeth, Bill kneed Tommy right in the groin with the force and skill of one who knew exactly how to do that to the utmost efficiency. That was for fucking her. Hefting the gun in his right hand, Bill then plowed the barrel up into Tommy's face as the taller man bent over in pain.

Yelling out, Tommy clasped at his bleeding face, taking a few reeling steps backwards. Wasting no time, Bill swung the Beretta up one handed and shot Tommy point blank in the head; all of this with a look of complete unfeeling stoicism.

The tall blonde man fell forward onto the wood floor with a loud thud; face down in his own blood and gore. He twitched a few times and then remained still. Frowning, Bill lowered the gun and giving Beatrix a quick almost dismissive glance, he swiftly turned his back on her and her now dead fiancée.

The rest of the Vipers were standing back a few feet away, smoking weapons in their hands. The look on Elle's face was purely murderous; the others...save for Budd perhaps, were similar. Bill gave them a silent nod and then walked away.

For the moment, Beatrix was all theirs.


	24. Chapter 24

Beatrix watched Tommy's death in silent horror, and now she watched the blood seeping from the bullet between his eyes in equally silent sorrow. She was still covered behind the pew and she was thankful for that; it gave her a moment to collect herself. Everyone was dead; her friends, Tommy…Tommy didn't deserve to die. He didn't do anything, dammit. He just had the unfortunate 'luck' of crossing Beatrix's path.

She wasn't going to blame herself for Tommy's death, but she did blame her stupidity for having not seen this coming. She should have known Bill would pull a coup on her. She had become blinded by his charm. He had played it so perfectly. He knew that just as she had fallen for his charm years ago she'd do the same now. Fucking bastard.

Even so, Beatrix allowed herself a moment of pining for Tommy, now dead on the wooden chapel floor, before her thoughts were interrupted by the various sounds of steps approaching.

She blinked hard, all feelings of repentance and mourning removed and replaced by pure and utter abhorrence in those blue eyes. She had two choices; hide and allow her past 'comrades' to dig her out or she could come out of her hole…willingly. Either way no one was on her side. Well, one person was…hands consciously settled on her bulging tummy. She had failed miserably protecting Tommy, but the last thing she'd do was subject her unborn child to the same brutality.

Another choice came to mind, she could run. It was in her character to run but not when she was so irate. They had to pay for ruining what she had tried so hard to achieve. But, she knew she couldn't make them pay, not in her condition…and they knew that too…

She methodically and cautiously pulled herself up to her feet. She made her choice. Facing her a few feet away, guns disposed of, was Vernita, Budd, and O-Ren. Long looks were exchanged, but Beatrix wasn't about to waste all of her time. She immediately turned, an attempted dash….she chose to run. But she only managed one step before she was stopped abruptly; to be cut off by…Elle.

Elle had been looking forward to this moment for so long…so, so long. And now, she was getting her wish. She could, with Bill's permission, now beat the living shit out of Beatrix Kiddo. She couldn't kill her, but this was just about as good...perhaps even better.

Giving her blonde comrade a wide smirk, she reared back and punched the woman right in the face; that fucking pretty face of hers. Well, it wasn't going to be pretty for much longer. And the bitch was so pregnant; it was almost too easy to knock her off balance. Elle punched her again; feeling higher than she'd ever felt in her entire life.

Elle's strikes caused Beatrix to stumble awkwardly into Vernita, who just looked at her without an ounce of compassion. Lashing out, Vernita, took her own opportunity to give the tall blonde a nasty uppercut in the jaw. Bill had told her she couldn't' bring any of her trademark knifes, ah well...punching the bitch was nearly as good.

Bill had situated himself in the corner of the chapel; where he now stood in the shadows, arms crossed, an unreadable expression on his face. His full attention was on Beatrix, the only time it was broken was when Sofie showed up. Sofie had first been invited to attend upon Bill's request as a 'look-out', but now she was just there to watch. Whoever said Sofie wasn't one to enjoy a bloody scene was terribly wrong. They exchanged nods as she passed by. He said nothing the entire time.

Elle cracked her knuckles; punching Beatrix again, her bloodthirsty smile widening further. Vernita took a step back allowing the others some room, as she wiped a blood spattered hand across her black top; in preparation for another round of attacks.

Beatrix stumbled, almost lost her balance, but she was caught by something or someone. Regaining her composure, she did a turn around; standing before her was Budd. Blood was trailing down the side of her mouth, droplets staining the front of her once beautifully white gown. Beads of sweat began trickling down the side of her neck, and a prominent black and blue mark was forming just below her left eye. The tall blonde stared at Budd with irate blue eyes. He wouldn't fucking dare…he out of all of them had no reason…but he did anyways; balling up a fist and hitting her nose….which splattered blood on contact.

She took an uneasy side step to the right. She was overcome with a feeling of nausea, and gulping down she only managed a wad of blood to stick to the back of her throat. This couldn't be happening. They couldn't be doing this to her…but they were and she was allowing it…

Her wobbled steps brought her over to O-Ren. The half breed was cold and void, but Beatrix could see the satisfaction in her dark brown eyes. The only thing exchanged between the two was a raised heel from O-Ren. Beatrix wasn't going to allow it. Before the piercing tipped heel of O-Ren's boot could connect, Beatrix grabbed the half breed's foot in mid air. They both swayed a moment. The tall blonde's jaw was set hard as she tried her hardest to evade the attack.

The struggle didn't last long and O-Ren availed by jerking her foot free and bringing it back around with expert ease; this time hitting Beatrix in the chest with a force that sent her off her feet, one sandal included, and hitting the floor with a cry of pain.

Elle seemed to think that was really funny and laughed nastily before kicking Beatrix right in the throat with her own heeled boot. Vernita followed this up with a kick of her own to Beatrix's chest. She could have easily kicked her in the stomach, but Vernita would not do that. She was hoping Bill wouldn't notice this tactful avoidance of Beatrix's belly.

All four Vipers came into a circle around the blonde; each continuing to dispose their own method of hostility against her.

After another full round of continuous beating, the bloody blonde, having fallen back on her back managed to get up again; which was quite something considering she was in a dress, quite pregnant and beginning to be in pretty damn bad shape. But none of her former fellow Vipers seemed surprised by this; they knew how good she was and knew that if she wasn't in her current condition, this would have been a very different situation. But, she was completely vulnerable and they simply continued to beat her up.

Bill remained unmoving in the corner. He seemed nothing more than a shadow plastered on the wall right now; perfectly composed and still. It was difficult to tell if he was really thinking of anything at all at the moment.

Sofie was just watching.

A couple hard punches later Beatrix was back down on the ground and all of them took the opportunity to rail on her in such a prone position. Most of them seemed to be concentrating on her face; which was starting to look like a train wreck.

Vernita then grabbed Beatrix, and hauled her back up to her feet, only to knock her back down with a vicious roundhouse kick to the knees; a brilliantly wide toothy grin on her face.

Before Beatrix had any time to collect herself again, she felt a sharp kick to her side. She wasn't sure whose it was, it didn't matter anymore, but this time she screamed out in torture. She was in so much pain. She had been beaten up on assignments before, but this time the emotional baggage seemed to make it ten times worse. She was drenched to the bone in her own sweat. The entire left side of her face felt numb and what she could feel hurt like a bitch. The steady stream of blood from her nose only proved it was most likely broken and she was finding it harder to keep her right eye open.

More than anything she wanted to curl up into a fetal position and hide, but she wouldn't allow herself to fall that low. She wouldn't allow them the satisfaction of seeing her at her weakest and most degrading point.

Finally, they ceased allowing the blood-splattered bride time to get back on her feet. This task was becoming more and more difficult after every round of attacks. Soon she wouldn't be able to do it on her anymore; but for now she still tried her best.

Back on her unsteady two feet she now stood near Budd. This time she caught his eye for a lengthier time. She distinctly heard a noise within his throat. Was he disappointed in her? Well, it was no different than her disappointment in him for participating in this.

He punched her once again in the face. She stumbled back, keeping her footing but almost lost it as O-Ren sent a roundhouse kick to her jaw. She could feel the blood seeping from her gums; coating her teeth. So, when she came back around to Vernita that pool of blood collecting in her mouth was spat in the other woman's eye.

"Bitch!" Vernita hissed under breath, wiping away the spittle from her face and answering with a hard punch into Beatrix's teeth. At least now she could react how she wanted to without Bill stopping her.

At this point, the tall blonde was running out of strength, and Vernita's punch sent her back onto the ground. Vernita, then followed this up with a few more heel kicks to the chest, shit...now that had to hurt like a bitch.

Elle was sneering with the utmost sadistic pleasure, and she knelt down next to Beatrix. She locked eyes, well now in both of their cases...locked one eye each. Elle's sneer widened; loving this moment. She tilted her head to the side, sticking out her lower lip in a mock pout expression. Then, her expression turned feral and she slammed a fist down into Beatrix's already bruised and bloody face. When, she pulled her bony knuckles away they were smeared with a fresh coat of blood.

Standing up, she nodded to Budd, who bent down and hauled Beatrix back up to her unsteady feet.

It was coming close to the point where the tall blonde felt her knees want to buckle from beneath her. Budd continued to support her with hands under her arms. He could feel her violent shaking and the sensation almost vibrated to his own hands. So much blood had coagulated in her throat at this point that her breathing was coming in short gasps mixed with sobs of pain.

The calm and cool demeanor half breed stepped forward and with ease performed a high jump kick directed at the side of that pretty blonde head. Unable to fall off her feet this time, her head snapped to the side. This was quickly followed up by Budd ruthlessly pushing her forward and providing a hit under her chin.

This time her fall brought her a few feet away from the group of Vipers. They didn't approach, not yet. Instead the horrendous silence was broken by the high pitched, obnoxious melody of a cell phone ring tone. Beatrix knew that tone anywhere, and with that sharp blue eye, the one that had yet to be completely dominated by a black and blue mark, shifted to the source.

Sofie Fatale was standing near the far side of the chapel talking merrily on that fucking cell phone. The blonde whirled her head away unable to take the sight, and the action only brought on another wave of nausea. But instead of throwing up, she coughed up a large wad of blood that spilled down her chin and along her neck line.

Sofie's annoying cell phone tone didn't seem to cause too much pause to the Viper's. Instead, they went back to their former brutality, this time to the background soundtrack of Sofie speaking in cheerful Japanese.

This method of holding Beatrix up and hitting her seemed to be working well, and they went back to that. Budd, being the biggest was the natural choice to hold up the bloody blonde while the rest took turns beating her up.

Vernita had to admit, Bea was looking more than pretty damn bad at this point. The coughing up of the blood had been a good sign that things were taking a real turn for the worst...for her that is. The bitch's nose was definitely broken, and her teeth looked pretty bad. It was hard to imagine her as being so beautiful just fifteen minutes ago.

Elle much preferred Beatrix like this; looking like utter shit. And it made her feel quite good to know that many of those nasty injuries were her doing. It was so easy, to find reasons to hate her, and then to take it all out on her now. Bill could feel betrayed all he wanted, but Elle was doing this for Elle Driver and nobody else.

Vernita had just got done throwing Beatrix to the ground with a simple hip toss...and like a sack of flour, the pregnant bride to never be collapsed to the ground. It was so fucking pathetic, seeing her like this. It was almost as if she was a different person...for she certainly wasn't 'the deadliest woman in the world' in what would certainly be the last few minutes of her life. Pathetic.

That was it; Beatrix couldn't take it any more. She could take a lot of things, suppress pain from bullet wounds and knife slashes, but she couldn't suppress this pain. It was too much and her strong and commendable demeanor was cracking. Shit, fine, she'd learned her lesson. Bill was a cold murdering bastard and, no matter what she would never ever belong to anyone else.

All she wanted to do was shrivel up and die…but…she couldn't allow herself to break down to that point. She had to concentrate on her baby. Her poor baby girl…it wasn't fair. What if the baby was harmed or dead? Even though Beatrix hadn't sustained any hits to her stomach, thankfully, that didn't mean her current state wouldn't affect the baby.

Damn them all, and damn Bill most of all for doing this to…their child. But he didn't know. Maybe if he'd known he'd have spared her this pain…but even as the thought flickered through her fuzzy head she still felt inclined to reject the idea. It wouldn't come to that point. But then again a lot of things she had thought over the last few minutes were far from the truth.

Finally, the blood splattered blonde had hit the ultimate point of being pathetic. Her eyes had welled up with tears and she didn't try to push them back, but allowed herself to shed the hot burning liquid that trickled down against her open facial wounds. All four Vipers were now standing over her; each with an expression that showed no pity or remorse for their actions. She wasn't afraid of them…no…her tears weren't spilling for that reason…it was the boiling anger that caused her body to shake and take in sniveling breaths that brought her tears.

As Beatrix laid there, beaten, bloody and bruised under the snide scrutiny of the four Vipers. Bill, from his dark spectator's corner knew she'd had enough. He could see it, he could sense it in her. She was ready.

When Budd turned to glance at him, he gave his brother a slow nod. The Vipers in turn stepped a little further back from Beatrix's prone form.

And why hadn't Bill taken part in this physical brutality on Beatrix? Well, the simple answer to that was that he didn't want to. He didn't want his last moment of physical contact with her to be a hostile one. They had shared too many gentle moments to have him mar it with physically beating her. He had no desire to beat her; he simply wanted to kill her. No, his cruelty would be by the bullet; a far more detached and swift means of gaining what he wished. He had wanted her to suffer, like he had...and the Vipers had more than done that for him.

And now, like some dark savior, he would swoop in and grant her the swift ending to her suffering.

Watching her get so cruelly beaten hadn't been the easiest moment in Bill's life, but it hadn't been unbearable either. Bill had always been a sucker for brutal violence. And there was something rather alluring about watching the woman he loved, who'd betrayed him, be so belittled in front of him by those that would follow his every order. Talk about power. It certainly was something that a man could get off on. But, Bill was an old player at power. Yes, this was certainly alluring, but he wasn't blinded by it. He was aware of the pain that Beatrix was feeling right now. She was a tough gal...and now, she was reduced to a bloody weeping woman. Just a woman. She had always hated being demeaned with the utmost passion. And the furious glint in her pain stricken and swollen eyes was enough to show her true feelings towards this situation.

Bill smiled a little at that thought. How he still adored her, even like this, even after all she'd done to him. He felt an odd sense of cold tenderness towards her. Later, some would most likely think this had been a hate crime, but in fact it was the furthest from. He loved her.

Enough, it was time to end this.

Stepping out from the corner, Bill strolled up the middle of the bullet shell strewn chapel aisle; well worn cowboy boots thundering off the old wooden floorboards in the otherwise eerily silent room. As he did this, he pulled out one of his distinctive monogrammed handkerchiefs that he always kept in his jacket; Beatrix would appreciate the irony, even in her current state. He did not remove his gun quite yet.

Stepping in front of the Vipers and staring down at her, he met her marred yet still fiery gaze head on. Ohhh, she was angry alright. He smiled. She thought he was an evil bastard...a cold unfeeling son of a bitch, she thought he was sadistic...

"Do you find me sadistic?" He asked softly, crouching down next to her. He began to wipe the blood from her face with the handkerchief; gingerly, tenderly even. She tried to pull away from him, but it was no use and he persisted. All the while, he spoke to her in that slow smooth tone of voice that she had, in a time not so long ago, adored so much. She should have known better. It was well known advice to never befriend the snake; for that deadly sly tongued serpent was apt to turn around and bite you when you least suspected it. Bill thought that perhaps Beatrix was just now realizing the real weight of her mistake. Ah, so was the tragedy of this story.

"...this is me...at my most...masocistic..."

The rotation of the chamber and the clicking of the hammer echoed in the Bride's ears. He was going to kill her. He wasn't fucking around, he was going to bust a cap in her crown and she couldn't do a damn thing to prevent it. At first she thought this was punishment for what she had done to him. She could handle that, and she could easily learn her lesson, but as the brutality went on and the pain increased her thoughts swayed.

A moment ago she wasn't scared. Her anger outweighed any other emotions, but as he loaded that chamber, her anger faltered…to be replaced with an expression that did not suit her; fear. It wasn't fear for her own life, but the life inside of her and that's when she knew she had to make a final choice.

Like a switch turning off the tears ceased, so did her labored breathing. And the fear dissipated, for now she was filled with a white hot hate that shined in both blue eyes as she stared at the man above her. This had been her man, her lover, mentor, teacher, corrupter, and…the father of her child.

Beatrix caught Bill's gaze down the barrel of the gun. Her expression although irate was severe and almost…pleading. "Bill," she started in a stronger tone than expected from a woman that had endured such a beating. This was her last chance to save herself and her baby…

"It's your bab..." But it was too late, all turned black after that loud bang, as blood and skull fragments soiled the wooden floor beneath the side of her once beautiful blonde head.

And then it all went to hell.

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTES:**

Hi everyone! Wow…can you believe it? We've finally finished. It's rather sad actually. Mel and I will greatly miss reading your wonderful reviews and posting up new chapters.

A **big thank you** to all of those that have read this story and especially a huge thank you to those that have been with us since the prequels. We owe a lot to you guys!

Well, incase you all are in a state of panic that Mel and I may never write again, you will be happy to know we have a few more chapters to **Kill Bill: Three Months**. It isn't much, an epilogue of sorts and the first part of it should be posted in a month's time, maybe less. Look for updates on this story. And check out Mel's solo fic devoted to Bill; "**The Life and Times of a Murdering Bastard**" which is still in the process of being written but is a great Bill-fix.

As for more stories revolving around the fantastic world of Kill Bill written as a joint-fic, Mel and I unfortunately have run out of ideas for things to write together. Yes, there is always the sequel but everyone has written a sequel and it just hasn't caught our interest. SO we'd like our fellow readers and KB lovers to tell us if they have any story ideas in mind.

Feel free to contact either Mel or I, or both of us at our emails or instant messengers, either just to chat or tell us an idea. We don't want to not write…it's hard for us as the writers to not write together because we love it so much.

Anyway, thanks again and we promise this won't be the last you hear from us!

**Jess and Mel**


	25. Chapter 25

**Author's Note:**

Hi there! Miss us? Sure you did…we missed you. Anyway, enough about us or you, I'm sure you want to start reading. But before that, small notes from Mel and I; the next few chapters will be in installments, please be patient, we'll get them up as quick as we can. I'm sure you'll figure out the 'order' of these chapters easily. And one last note; the time period is spanning one year after Two Pines. Two Pines to one year later.

Okay, now you can start reading. Enjoy!

* * *

**Epilogue 1.** _O-Ren Ishii aka Cottonmouth_

It was one year to the day that four people took part in the killing of eight innocent people at the Two Pines Wedding Chapel. After which these same four people took part in beating the utter living shit out of a pregnant young blonde woman. This shortly followed up by witnessing the boss of these four people shot the young blonde woman in the head. But this was not before they all heard that the baby that this young woman was carrying was…Bill's baby.

Not but a week following they all found out that the blonde woman was apparently not dead but in a deep coma. This became not as much of a surprise to the five as it was to one of them, O-Ren Ishii.

Had O-Ren enjoyed punching, kicking, and making Beatrix Kiddo bleed at the Two Pines massacre? Of course she did. Did she regret her actions? Of course not. O-Ren being atypical loner never had much of a friendship with any of the other Vipers, Bill being her only exception. Her cares were for one thing, the Tokyo underground and herself. This didn't go to say that O-Ren never disliked Beatrix but she didn't like her. O-Ren had a firm belief that Bill doused Beatrix with too much favoritism. He always thought she was his best assassin. Yes, she had seen Beatrix do some pretty cool shit but her respect for the woman never bloomed.

Beatrix was a silly Cacusian girl who thought she was something she wasn't. She could never live up to the potential of being a real Samurai warrior.

This was O-Ren's views on the woman and this went along with her clear idea that it being a year later that Beatrix was never going to wake up. How she had survived was beyond her but O-Ren was pretty damn sure that she'd die in her sleep or something equally as worthy for someone as low as Beatrix. Perhaps there would have been a time that Beatrix could have proved herself to O-Ren, that she was as an equal, but that time wasn't going to come. Not unless she woke up and O-Ren did not expect that. Actually it was the farthest thing from her mind.

So, without another thought towards the blonde the half breed set off two months after the massacre to finish her power struggle over the Yakuza clans.

She had accomplished numerous things over the years with her constant trips to Tokyo, Japan. It was all in her 'plans' and with the Tokyo Underground in its current position she knew the time to strike was now. The final task for her plans needed to be covered and she was off to do that right now.

* * *

The door to the familiar hacienda was open and the half Chinese, Japanese American stepped inside, her sandals padding against the wooden flooring as she walked into the dining room. Sitting at the large oak table scattered with papers and various other documents was Bill. O-Ren let a small smile of satisfaction cross her docile features. "Sofie gave you my message. Good."

"I did, yes," was Bill's swift reply. He offered the young woman a brief glance and then gestured to one of the empty stools along the edge of the bar. "Please...sit."

His demeanor was of what it had been for the past year or so; a little tired, a little wary...a little disappointed...with something. But, it was all shrouded underneath that typical hard and stoic exterior. If anything he was more distant than he'd ever been in the years past.

Of course, O-Ren Ishii was undoubtedly Bill's most cold and emotionally distant member. So, it was a good match.

Bill took his time finishing up whatever he was engrossed in, and then carefully set down the expensive looking fountain pen in his right hand. He leaned back, cringing a little as he did so. This time he fixed O-Ren with a longer and far more introspective look that was almost parental in its scope.

"I'm glad you called," he began, but without a smile. "It is about time we chat isn't it O-Ren?" This time a wisp of a jaded and knowing smile touched his lips. "I think I always knew this day would come..."

O-Ren smiled gently. "As did I." Over the past year O-Ren had her worries about Bill, about what had happened. She offered her aid, although small, during the first few months but as Bill grew more distant with his 'new' life, O-Ren distanced with perfecting her life. But they remained close and more importantly understood one another.

She bought her hands up on the table top and folded them daintily, her eyes shifted down to them and then back up to the older man before her, giving him a very serious expression. "This Organization has helped me in so many ways and I know that you are aware of my gratitude for everything you have done for me. I know this is not easy given…the circumstances…of the…breakup. But I ask for my leave only with your approval and written consent."

Bill was silent for a few long seconds after her announcement; his expression unchanging. He looked neither unhappy or elated to hear the news; as he'd already expressed he seemed to be expecting it.

Then slowly, he smiled; eyes crinkling with a touch of human fondness for the deadly young woman sitting across from him. "And you will have it," he replied, this time in fluent Japanese.

Whatever Bill's past crimes against O-Ren had been, common knowledge or not, regretted or not, it was obvious that he cared for her. His approval of her choices were clear. He was proud of what she'd become.

"You will have not only my...personal and professional approval," he continued on in Japanese, "...but as always, my financial resources." Bill had spent the last few years financially backing O-Ren's yakuza efforts in Tokyo, it made no sense he stop now. "Whatever you need...you know I have many contacts there, consider them yours now."

Whatever difficult circumstances of the current DiVA breakup, Bill was doing a damn good job of not allowing that to get in the way of watching O-Ren leave as well. It had only been a matter of time anyways...

He pushed away from the table and rounded the table top to where O-Ren was still sitting. Smiling, he picked up those two small yet deadly hands in his own larger and equally deadly pair. He gave each one a fond kiss and then looked her directly in the face with an intense expression.

"But you must promise me something...even though I have no doubt that you will be more than capable." He squeezed her hands; eyes flashing. "Don't leave a living soul in your path...you must be even more ruthless than you have been in the past." His voice was heavy with experience and perhaps...a touch of parental concern. "You must raise hell and then create your own in its place."

O-Ren nodded and smiled respectably. She clearly understood Bill's words and would take them with her and use them to their full potential. She hadn't worked this hard become soft hearted and lose what she had. No, she was going to raise hell and create one much grander, so much more powerful in its place.

She had a few more less personal words with Bill before departing. She promised she'd keep in touch and she would because as independent a woman as she was she depended greatly on Bill, and not just financially. He was the father she missed and in many ways it was ironic but not to her…unfortunately but she was happy…and that was all that mattered.

* * *

"How long have you known me, Sofie?" O-Ren was standing in front of the full length mirror clad in a white kimono that she was neatly tying. The French-Japanese woman was standing off to the side watching the other woman with an admirable eye. She replied swiftly, "Nine years."

O-Ren smiled knowingly to her reflection in the mirror. "And what has my goal been for those nine years?"

"To gain complete power over the Tokyo Underground."

"Exactly and tonight my friend we are going to accomplish just that." She turned to Sofie. "Have you made the calls?"

Sofie nodded, "This morning. Johnny Mo said he will gladly accompany us." After O-Ren had departed Bill's in her resignation from the DiVAS she had requested Sofie work for her permanently. Bill did not need the 'lawyer' as anything he had had to do that required a lawyer were long in the past…it was…sad…but needed. Of course Bill gave no objection and Sofie gladly came into position. It was also a known fact that Sofie had been working with O-Ren 'privately' for the past five years helping her achieve her goals. It was Sofie who made all of the business phone calls and helped O-Ren accomplish her first greatest goal; The Crazy 88. And just recently accomplished the tedious task of finding the best bodyguard Japan had to offer; Go-Go Yubari.

"Perfect." As O-Ren turned to put on a pair of sandals a loud car horn from outside echoed into the abode. "Ah, there is Go-Go. Just on time. Shall we go celebrate?" Sofie nodded eagerly and followed O-Ren out to the car where she would be driven to the meeting with six Yakuza clan bosses and gain ultimate power.

"…the price you pay for bringing up either my Chinese or my American heritage as a negative is, I collect your fucking head…" O-Ren lifted the decapitated head of Boss Tanaka. "Just like this fucker here. Now if any of sonsabitches got anything else to say, now's the fucking time." The room is silent. "I didn't think so." With an eerily calm smile the half breed bows. "Meeting adjourned."

"I believe it went well," Sofie commented as she sat in the back seat of the limo along with O-Ren Ishii who was now proclaimed the boss of all boss's in Tokyo Japan.

"Oh, it went very well."

Sofie smiled wider and leaned in closer to O-Ren. "Bill will be proud."

O-Ren turned to her good friend and the sparkle in the woman's eyes spoke volumes. "Of course he will." And she silently turned away to gaze out at the passing street lights. Over the years O-Ren would have many 'proud' accomplishments but nothing would outweigh what she had just done.


	26. Chapter 26

**Epilogue 2.** _Vernita Green aka Copperhead_

For Vernita Green, there was only one thing, and one thing only, that really mattered to her since the massacre at Two Pines. And that thing was a man; a tall, dark and handsome one that is, one by the name of Lawrence Bell.

'Doctor' Lawrence Bell to be precise.

Oh, he was a fine tall drink of water, that Lawrence Bell, and Vernita found herself mighty thirsty.

She'd been seeing Dr. Bell for months; almost five to be exact, when she took part in the massacre at the Two Pines Wedding Chapel in El Paso Texas, and the near murder of the Black Mamba aka Beatrix Kiddo…..along with the rest of the wedding party.

Vernita had smartly kept her little fling with the good doctor a secret from Bill and the rest of the Vipers. Not because she feared any sort of stupid jealousy from any of them, but because she knew that it would be thrown back in her face with everything that had happened with Beatrix. So, for the moment her relationship bliss was kept safely in the dark.

Lawrence worked his medical magic in Sacramento, California. Vernita had been taking small side trips after her assignments to go and see him; even when she initially had been states away from California. But it seemed he was tired of Sacramento and was looking to move a little further south; perhaps San Diego or Pasadena. And he wanted her to move with him.

Vernita had so far kept her life as an assassin a secret from Lawrence, and she had every intention of keeping it that way…no matter what happened. He didn't need to know what she was and what she had done in the past; in fact….he would never know.

Ya see, Vernita knew from the moment that she met Lawrence Bell that she was going to get out of the assassin's life. Maybe she even knew it much earlier on, long before she'd nearly killed Beatrix Kiddo….a woman she'd considered a friend for years. It had always been in the back of her mind, and it wasn't until now that it made sense.

She was going to shed her former skin like the snake she was and emerge a new woman.

It wasn't that Vernita didn't like the killing or the money….or the lifestyle in general; she loved it. She loved to wield a knife and plug it into some stupid motherfucker's guts…and then get paid some sick amount of money for doing it. She loved jetting around the world, staying at the best places, eating great food, wearing nice clothes. But in the end, something was missing…..and it was her biological clock that told her so. She wanted a family, and a woman who killed people for a living could never have a proper family; Beatrix had understood that better than any of them.

To top it all off, the chemistry within the Deadly Vipers was at its all time vilest.

To begin with, there was the all around shock of Beatrix's amazing survival. For a group of people who prided themselves on being utterly proficient and thorough, the news of such a 'failure' was unfamiliar and discontenting to all of them. They'd turned on one of their own, and she'd manage to survive that betrayal. It was not a comforting thought.

Then, there was O-Ren's cold aloofness and her near disappearance from the whole scene all together. She'd always been an arrogant bitch, but after Two Pines her ego seemed to quadruple in size. Her and Vernita had never gotten along all that great to begin with anyways. The half-breed clung to Bill's parental adoration and flow of underground funds like some petulant child. It was annoying beyond words and Vernita counted O-Ren out of the picture fairly early on. Best of luck to her, hope she doesn't get her fucking head chopped off in Japan.

Then, there was Budd and the apparent decades of sibling rivalry with his older brother. Whatever shit sat between those two men was beyond Vernita, but it was obvious that it was bad. Budd handled it by getting drunk as much as possible and further withdrawing himself from Bill…his only 'caring' relative. Vernita had always had a soft spot for Budd, and she hated to watch him drown himself in such a way; by doing so he was only proving Bill right about himself. But Budd was just as stubborn as his brother, and there was no swaying him from the choices he was making. He hid his emotional turmoil fairly well, but Vernita could see the anger and hurt simmering underneath. She only hoped it wouldn't be the end of him.

On the opposite spectrum was Elle, who moved in on Bill faster than a carnivorous hog to a dead body. It disgusted Vernita to watch it. It was pathetic, and she would have told Elle to her face had she ever found the woman in a room without Bill in it. Elle had always had a thing for Bill, that was no secret, but now that Beatrix was out of the picture it seemed that Elle was finally getting her chance and this time Bill seemed to welcome it…if not a little half-heartedly.

Elle and Bill. Yeah, Vernita didn't even want to think about that one. It gave her the creeps; far more than Beatrix and Bill ever had. Perhaps the coldest, loneliest hearts did eventually find one another. Although Vernita was pretty damn sure it was something far less romantic in nature than that with these two.

Elle's snide and sadistic attitude only got worse after she'd claimed her prize. She was also intolerably unpleasant when it came to the addition of Bill and Beatrix's child in her life and made no efforts to hide the trauma that the situation apparently caused her. Vernita was seriously considering pulling out her other fucking eye.

Lastly, of course, there was Bill himself; a fifty-eight year old man dealing with the trauma of being a single father for the first time in his illustriously brutal life. It would have amused Vernita had it happened under any other set of circumstances. He was quite nasty for the first few weeks after Two Pines; cold and short with every one. Vernita thought perhaps it was his way of dealing with the guilt he was feeling about Beatrix, but she would never have told him that. After B.B. came along his mood lifted drastically, but he usually was so tired he ended up acting like an asshole anyways. He seemed caught between his newfound affection for human life and the frustration of watching everything he'd worked for falling apart all around him.

But in the midst of all of this was B.B.

Unlike Elle, Vernita did not look upon B.B. as some living form of jealousy and spite. Vernita knew that B.B. was just as innocent as any child was. The sins of her parents were not B.B.'s fault. And Vernita treated the little girl, for the short time she knew her, just as sweetly as she would her own baby. She was a beautiful baby and Vernita loathed Bill for nearly killing his own child; unknowing or not. Vernita Green was not a good woman, not by a long shot, but she regarded children with a mother's eyes; not a killer's. Bill could love and cherish his daughter as much as he wanted, but that didn't change the fact that he'd nearly killed her before she'd even had a chance to be born. He could play 'daddy' pretty well, but god damnit he was still a murdering bastard. That was something Vernita would never be able forgive him for.

* * *

So, that was the state of Vernita's world when it suddenly took a jolting turn….about three months after the Two Pines massacre.

She and Lawrence had been seeing one another for almost seven months at that point, when on one of her usual trip's to Sacramento, the good doctor got down on one knee and asked her if she'd marry him.

Like many women, she'd been secretly expecting and hoping for that moment. It was perhaps the happiest day of Vernita's violent life. She didn't care how provincial it was; she really did want to get married and have a normal sort of life….that life she and Beatrix had half jokingly talked about all those years. Now, it was going to happen for sure.

So, of course she said yes. And then about three weeks after that, after a nervously made doctor's appointment, she found out that she was three months pregnant. Her and Lawrence had been fucking around since the beginning of course, what girl in her right mind wouldn't? So the circumstances of getting knocked up didn't really surprise her all that much. After a momentarily break down, she was elated.

Lawrence took the news well. He was even quite happy, after the initial shock of course. Vernita herself couldn't have been happier. Sure, she would have liked to have been married before she'd been knocked up…but shit…it had just happened, and that was the way it was going to be.

Lawrence insisted they get married as soon as possible at that point, since his Southern Baptist family wouldn't take too well to a visibly pregnant bride at the wedding. That suited Vernita just fine, best to get it all done and over with.

And so, Vernita's inevitable meeting with Bill was forced upon her a little sooner than she would have liked.

She flew in from Sacramento, after having just completed an assignment and spending a few days with Lawrence on the side. She took the familiar trip down to Mexico and pulled up to Bill's hacienda on a hot afternoon for what she was sure would be the last time.

When she knocked on the door Nikishi informed her that Bill was out back training.

So, she went out back…trying not to think too much about how he was going to react. He was out on the raised courtyard area, going through some complicated looking Tai Chi form in typical couth fashion despite the midday heat. Vernita had never really gotten into the whole Tai Chi thing, she was more of a fast paced training kinda gal herself, but she could appreciate the art form when performed by a seasoned practitioner such as Bill.

She watched him silently for a few minutes; arms crossed over her chest. He'd known she was there from the moment she stepped outside of course, but he continued on…making her wait. He looked tired, as usual….but she thought perhaps some of the bitterness there was beginning to fade away.

When he finally came to a stop and pivoted around to look at her, she offered him a bright smile that she hoped didn't come off as nervous. "Hi Bill……."

"Vernita," he nodded; returning her smile in a far less forced fashion before bending down to pick up a neatly folded towel from the ground.

She took a few steps towards the stone steps, giving him a few moments to blot at his perspiring face. "How's B.B.?"

He tossed the towel over his shoulder and descended the steps. "She's well." That wisp of paternal pride now emerged. "She continues to cry allot at night, and I still can't get her to crawl around on her own yet….but I will."

Vernita laughed a little. "It's still a little early for that….but I'm sure she will soon." Typical Bill; pushing even a baby to better herself beyond the typical parameters.

'So," he waved an arm in her direction, indicating she sit down on the stairs before he sat himself, "….the assignment went well I assume."

"Yeah, it was fine….usual shit." She sat down beside him. "But, nothing special….another dead asshole to bury."

"Hrm," he stared off across the sunlit yard, nodding. Then he fell silent; uncomfortably so. He'd been lapsing into these thoughtful silences more and more recently.

Vernita clasped her hands around her knees; attempting to muster up her courage. She didn't know really why she was so nervous. Yeah, Bill was a murdering bastard who had been known to exact his vengeance with a swift tenacity. But this was different; all she wanted to do was leave….and besides, she had good reason to.

"I…..." she began; licking her suddenly dry lips, "….there's something I've got to tell you Bill, and I don't think you're going to like it all that much."

He offered her a sharp side glance; smirking. "Vernita, I haven't liked most of what I've heard lately…….try me." Then the bitterness dropped away a little and he urged her on with a softer glimpse. "Go ahead…."

Without much thought now, she plowed on. "I'm out Bill……..I'm…I'm getting married…….I'm," she looked away for a moment, only turning back to look at him when she felt she was ready to speak again. "I'm also pregnant."

Bill's brows lifted fractionally, but his reaction was typically placid. "Ah, I see."

She placed a hand on his forearm. "Look…..I'm real sorry Bill….but….I want a family, and….I love this man. We want to start a life together." She paused. "I can't do this anymore." After that, she fell silent. That was pretty much all she'd wanted to say.

Bill didn't respond right away, instead he just continued to squint across the yard; fingertips idly brushing against the hem of his silk shirtsleeve. Then, he finally spoke up; so suddenly it almost made Vernita jump.

"You know I wish you wouldn't leave…….but I can't make you stay."

Vernita let out the breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. It was a relief hearing those words. But she also felt a flicker of pity. Here he was, watching his brainchild of an organization fall apart in his hands. She wondered, if under different circumstances if he would have handled it all differently. Maybe it was B.B., maybe he was finally feeling the weight of his life beginning to bare down. Or maybe……just maybe, he cared enough to let her go.

It didn't really matter now. What mattered was that she was now officially out. She knew Bill well enough to know he wouldn't go back on his word to her. Her time with the Deadly Vipers was now over.

She was just about to stand up, when he suddenly turned towards her and placed his hands on either side of her face. It was easy to flinch under that intense gaze, but Vernita could handle it. She stared right back at him.

"You are an amazing, beautiful woman Vernita," he began with surprising compassion, "….don't let the mundane world out there change that. And don't let that soon to be husband of yours turn you into just another faded, bored woman. I would be very sad to know that a woman such as you had traded everything you had, everything you could be…..for something that everybody has."

Sometimes Bill didn't always make complete sense to her, but for the briefest moment, Vernita could understand what Beatrix and Elle saw in a man like this. He was a very confusing person; both compelling and frightening. She was sure she'd never fully understand him, nor did she really want to.

"I won't," she replied in a whisper; simultaneously sure that that was a lie. In a moment of sudden sentimentality she pivoted around and wrapped her arms around his neck; embracing him with all of the affection that she felt for him. After all, he had saved her from a hard urban life and given her the knowledge and skills to become something extraordinary. She had cared for him when nobody else would. He'd seen her potential and made her believe in herself. She owed him allot, and she knew that.

She also loved him. She wasn't sure exactly what sort of love it was, but she did. She hoped he knew that, because she could never tell him.

"Thank you Bill," she whispered instead; kissing him on the cheek.

He said nothing, but returned her gesture with an equal amount of affection. Then, he pulled away from her; a small genuine smile on his face.

"Whenever you settle down in that quaint little house with its safe white picket fence, you call me and let me know where you are."

"I will." And she would, she owed that to him. Lawrence would flip if he found out a man like Bill was aware of her whereabouts, but he knew nothing of her past and like everything else, Bill would remain a part of that.

She stood….smiling, feeling a massive weight having been lifted. Her respect for Bill, despite his atrocities against Beatrix, was well intact. He had found it in him to let her go. Vernita wasn't sure he could be relied upon to let many people or things go, but he had let her go nonetheless.

He remained seated; looking up at her with an odd mixture of affection and pity; as if he felt sorry for her and her decision to give it all up for soccer practice and the minivan. But, she also thought perhaps a part of him understood now; parent to parent.

"Good-bye Bill," she offered as she turned to walk away towards the house; a dark muscular arm moving up to wave at him.

He replied with a typical egomaniacal wink and smirk; looking wholly the part of the confident bastard that he was. Maybe he really wasn't all that different after all.

She'd talk to him again, but she'd never see him again.

Vernita emerged from that house, got into her car and was well on her way to California within mere minutes. Her destiny awaited after all.

She was a changed person, or at least she wanted to be. Yes, she had some regrets already….many of them about Beatrix. And maybe she was even a little sorry about it, but that didn't change the fact that Beatrix would never be a mother to her child. She'd never know her beautiful little girl, and for that Vernita was saddened, because she herself would very soon have a child of her own. A child, a home, a husband…..all of those things that Beatrix had secretly wanted. It was fucking sad and fucking funny at the same time….depending on how you looked at it of course.

Still, it wasn't her fucking fault Beatrix had put herself in the position that she had. That bitch had done some bad shit…..and like all of them she had it coming.

So, Vernita Green did the best she could do to put it all behind her. And yeah, maybe they did all have it coming, but as far as she saw it….she was going to escape that fate. Let Bill and the others continue to play the game of death. As far as she was concerned, she had some baby clothes to pick out and a future husband to come home to.


	27. Chapter 27

**Epilogue 3.**_Budd aka Sidewinder_

Tires screeched to a sudden halt in front of the slightly familiar hacienda and out stepped the familiar form of Budd, dressed from hat to boot with jeans and a button shirt in between. Steps traveled across the pavement to the door and turned the knob; unlocked, and stepped in clearly not waiting for an invite. Why was he here on this bright sunny afternoon in the vicinity of Mexico? Well he had heard from a one eyed Viking bitch that his dear brother had had a baby. The mere fact that Bill had not called him personally and told him the news made his blood boil and it took a lot to get the cowboy really upset. It wasn't the sentimental fact that Bill hadn't called his own sibling to tell him the news but the horrible fact that Bill had had a fucking baby!

And what was this about Bill having a baby? Well, this wasn't old news. They all had heard it. Beatrix Kiddo had confessed she was carrying Bill's unborn child the day he 'tried' to kill her. Tried being the key word, as the blonde bitch miraculously survived and was now lying in a coma where she was still pregnant…well…not anymore. It seemed that those nine months were up and out popped….well….out cut the bundle of joy and Bill wanted first dibs on it.

What the fuck was his brother thinking? He couldn't raise a baby, no fucking way. It wasn't right. And now in an attempt to get the full details rather than a blurb from an unreliable source Budd was walking down the hallway and into the living room.

"Bill?" He called out in that gruff tone of voice. No answer. He turned down the hallway and opened the door to the bedroom. There, inside was Bill, back turned and in the corner of the room…something disturbing to be seen…a cradle. Budd felt his insides churn.

As upset as Budd was he tried to keep casual. He cleared his throat, "Hey Bill." A brief pause, "What's in the basket?"

Bill was silent for a few seconds, not turning to face his brother. He remained hunched over the cradle, and it made for a truly odd picture. There were just some things that didn't seem to fit in Bill's room, or sitting next to Bill himself for that matter; and a cradle was definitely one of them. His shoulders were slightly hunched; seemingly with both a good dose of wariness and tension.

"What's in the basket," he finally spoke up softly; but it was not in the friendliest tone, "...is your niece, Budd."

Finally, he turned towards his younger brother. He looked tired, and not exactly that old sort of tired, but more that 'I haven't slept very well in weeks' kind of tired. New parents would recognize this look in their spouse or partner. Bill had no spouse or partner to look at him and tell him just what that look was; but it was obvious enough. He had contended with many things in his life; many of them quite dangerous, but a newborn baby was something he'd been completely unprepared to handle.

Bill's dark eyes remained on Budd; seeming to gage the other man's reaction. And while he didn't appear happy to see his brother, there was some sort of newfound happiness hiding beneath his sleep deprived features. He pursed his lips; hands moving away from the cradle to momentarily clasp onto his knees. "Elle told you..." It wasn't a question.

"Yeah, she told me," Budd replied curtly. He didn't make any movement from the doorway. He didn't want to come anywhere near Bill, or his niece as Bill had so quaintly put it. He felt a foul taste form in the back of his throat and his eyebrows knit close together. He didn't care how fucking tired Bill looked, that was all irrelevant.

He tried to add onto his words, "She stopped by last night for somethin'." What that something was was just between him and Elle. "And she sorta threw it out." More like painfully hit him in the gut with it.

There was a long pause and then he cleared it very slowly, "What the fuck are you doing, Bill?"

Bill had been in the process of turning back to the cradle when Budd's last statement caused him to whip his head back around. The look on his face was now far from hard worn fatigue; it was brimming with anger.

"What the fuck am I doing?" He repeated; the end of the sentence rising to a threatening tone. Yet, he remained seated. "What I am doing, Budd," his voice lowered again, "...is doing what I should do." It didn't take a genius to figure out just what Budd meant with that question. "This child is mine," Bill gestured to the cradle, "...I'm doing my duty, as a man." There was a definite sharp tone of condemnation at that last; as if Budd had no idea of the concept himself.

His eyes narrowed, "I'm surprised with you Budd. I would have thought you would at least be happy for me."

Budd was clearly taken aback by that. "I..." He faltered but quickly picked it up with a shake of his head. "…ain't. I can't be happy about this." He gave his brother a ridiculing look from across the room. As much as Bill was throwing anger towards him, for the moment Budd was keeping his own at bay; a clear difference between the two.

"Your duty as a man?" He repeated, emphasizing on the word man. "Listen to yourself Bill. You're a man but you're not a man who should have a child." The weird placement of Bill in the room with the cradle was a clear example of this. "What your duty should be is givin' that kid to… parents…that can raise 'er right and I dunno," he threw his hands up. "…supplying child support."

"No," was Bill's flat out response to that. He turned away from Budd, back towards the cradle. For a few moments he simply gazed down at the small child inside; forearms on the edge of the cradle. His face was turned partially away from his brother, but there was no missing the look of warm adoration there. It was almost painful to see that look on Bill's face; it was so misplaced. It was impossible to tell if that look was completely new to him, or perhaps it had simply been buried underneath frowns and scowls for decades. It wasn't the same way he'd looked Beatrix; no...that had been very different. This look was only the kind a willing parent could give, and it seemed Bill was still trying it on for size. It was awkward, but the fit was slowly getting better.

Finally, standing up and turning towards Budd, Bill seemed...at least momentarily less angry; more typically resolved and sure of himself. "No," he said again, "...I could never do that. I...," he trailed off momentarily; hands now in his jean pockets, "...I can learn to be a man who should have a child." His look sharpened, "And even if not, I will raise this child no matter what the fuck you tell me Budd. I never listened before and I'm certainly not going to listen to you now. I've always made my own choices, and this one was the easiest one I've ever made." Easier than capping Beatrix in the head apparently.

Bill rounded the bed; coming within a few feet of his sibling. A familiar, cruel smirk was on his face in an instant, "Even our own mother...a good for nothing, easily bought, cold hearted, whore of a whore kept us around in one capacity or another. I'm better than that," he gestured back towards the cradle. "I can give this girl anything she wants." His brows rose, "Think about it. I can teach her all that I know." It seemed Bill had finally found the ultimate protégé. His look became wistful.

For a brief second seeing Bill with that look of resolve Budd was having some second thoughts, then he went right around and said that. That was what he was afraid of. His lips puckered out as he took on a classic moment of deep thought. Once completed he wagged a single digit at Bill. "No…no…no…See, you tried that with me….and," he gave a short bitter chuckle and wove it off turning more serious. "Then you had Beatrix Kiddo."

"The woman that you," he pointed a critical finger. "…knocked up and now you wanna raise…no teach…the child that you spawned? You couldn't even fucking touch me until I was three years old and even then a lotta good goddamn quality time you spent with me. What are you gonna do? Lock 'er up and bring 'er out three years later?" His own disapproval was beginning to sharpen and for once he wasn't about to bite back on his words. "This is different. You're not gonna have ma or Estiban to look after the kid when you don't wanna…" his voice lowered. "You're all alone on this one."

"Don't you fuckin' talk to me about responsibilities Budd!" Bill quickly snapped back; falling back into that slight western drawl for a moment. But he quickly lowered his voice when a small whimper emitted from the cradle.

He took a step towards his brother; chin raised. "I'll have you know," he hissed; almost in a whisper, "That I did care for you even before you could pick up a cap gun. I held you when you were only a few weeks old and hated every fucking second of it, but I did it for that goddamn whore. And when I was looking down into that fat wrinkled pink face of yours...you know what I thought? I thought...that perhaps, just perhaps...someday you would come to understand all of the shit that I knew. And when you were old enough, I put so much of my time and energy into doing for you what nobody had done for me."

He paused; voice still calm but there was a definite undertone of fury. "Neither of us was conceived in love Budd, but that child," he motioned, "...was. And if I can give you all that I did...only to have you waste it by turning into the worlds worst excuse for a shit kicking alkie...then by fucking god, I can certainly do it for my own daughter."

His voice became cold now, "Perhaps she will truly appreciate it." He raised his chin again, "Alone I may be Budd, but I'll take my chances and bet I come out ahead….just as I always do."

Budd tipped his own chin up with a hand tracing along the rim of his hat. He wasn't about to argue with that because it was all true. Bill put so much effort into making Budd his ultimate protégé but it back fired because Budd wasn't the right one. He was too different. And even though Bill had sway over all of Budd's decisions in life one of them he came short of by a few feet was becoming just like Bill. Not that he wasn't ashamed of this, but Bill sure as hell was. But now there was a glimmer of hope; Bill had created a child with the one person that came closest to being Bill and if he took the time to really think about that was one deadly combination. He took deeply into account his own life and that didn't sway his feelings on this either.

But what was also true was how egotistical Bill was being about it. Everything had to benefit him and there was no arguing with that either, so he couldn't argue with that. His features turned void; a look he usually did not take. His own hard brown eyes looked over Bill's shoulder and cleared his throat after the sudden silence, "What you name her?"

Bill blinked; perhaps a bit taken back by Budd's sudden change of subject. It was hard to tell if he looked relieved or disappointed at this. But he decided to let the hostility drop; for the moment.

"B.B.," he said with a little twist of the lip. Budd, of course, would know what those initials stood for, but Bill clarified anyways. "I would naturally name my son Bill but seeing as I have a daughter, I deiced to give her the namesake of both myself and Beatrix." Leave it to Bill to do something so oddly unorthodox with a girl's name.

He shifted a little; looking at the cradle. "I found it fitting," he mused; as if he'd thought it up years ago. That warm adoration returned to his face for a few seconds. It could not be said that Bill didn't instantly adore his daughter. Perhaps she was 'just' a protégé to begin with, but it was already obvious that his feelings were quickly going beyond something so superficial.

He eventually turned back to Budd. "She deserves to know more than just her father. I would hope you would stick around Budd...for her sake." They both knew the DiVA's were rapidly disintegrating, and even Bill couldn't hide the anxiety that it caused.

This was perhaps the first request that Bill had ever asked his brother, and deep down Budd wanted too except it. This was his niece. He'd never have another one in his life time and he certainly would never be an Uncle in any other life time. But as much as he believed Bill wasn't a man to have a child, Budd wasn't a man to be an Uncle. It was a tough decision to make but eventually something would sway him over to the right side.

If Budd was in a better mood he would have made some wise crack joke about B.B. really standing for Bill and Budd but he was far from blurting that out. The weight of Bill's last statement turned any sarcasm aside. Budd's demeanor changed, his hands moving to loop into his belt, and his chin tilted down, his hat casting a shadow against his features. "I dunno, Bill. She deserves to know her mother too," and that went immediately back too Budd's first disapproval of what happened at Two Pines.

For a brief moment, it looked as if Bill was going to actually physically strike his own brother, and not some fanciful kung fu sort of maneuver either, but a full out bar-brawl style right hook. Budd might have more body mass, but they both knew Bill was quite capable of laying him flat out.

But instead, Bill changed one clenched fist into a sharp finger, and jabbed it into Budd's sternum. His dark eyes were burning with an unfathomable amount of anger, but his breathing was an eerie calm. "That...is an irrelevant point now," he nearly whispered; voice likewise carrying that sociopath's eerie calm. "And you know it." Bill was not the sort to outwardly show much in the way of painful emotions, but there was a definite flash of pain there. Was Budd's statement really so cruel? Or was Bill already having second thoughts about Beatrix? Or perhaps something more.

"I will take care of Beatrix when the time comes," he continued; letting his hand fall away from Budd; but the anger remained. "For now...as she will be soon...she's dead." It didn't seem as if Bill was fully prepared to contend with his daughter, and her mother not being around and the whole conflict that arose out of it.

Bill tilted his head back; a look of typical haughtiness lighting his face, "We don't all get what we deserve."

"And that's a damn shame now ain't it?" Budd lifted his head back up and tilted his hat up. There was an atypical look of pain in his eyes and a straight glower of anger on his face. Such as when Bill and Beatrix were first acknowledged as a couple he didn't approve but he went along with it for Bill's sake, but now he certainly didn't approve of anything Bill was doing and he wasn't going to go along with it. Did Budd feel a tinge of guilt for what had happened? Of course, and that drove his anger towards this whole thing.

Softer brown eyes coated with haze stared past Bill's shoulder in a moment of silence. Apparently Bill's daughter didn't deserve to know her mother and Bill was certain she'd be dead soon enough. She had 'died' twice already, what's a third time? He cleared his throat finally and began in that gruff tone of voice that was always leveled; he was never one to raise his voice, "Right, well I really got nothing against the kid but I have a lot against you." His demeanor darkened; something that like Bill with the cradle didn't fit well. "I'm gonna have to say no. I'm not gonna stick around because all a this is going to hell and as much as you don't wanna admit it, it's your goddamn fault."

Budd lifted his chin keeping an eye lock with his brother whom he hardly ever stood up against, it wasn't an easy task. "I'm not gonna stand here and watch you do something that ain't right. But," he raised his hands up dramatically. "You don't give a shit about what I think and I wish ya gave a fucking damn because you know I'm right and if you weren't such a fucking bastard you'd realize that."

His hands slapped back against his waist giving Bill a sharp look. "For once in your life think about someone besides yerself! That kid's a prize to you. Some fucking reward you can cherish and pretend to love so one day she'll be just like you and then one day she'll leave you because she'll find out that you never really loved her…" he trailed off to suck in a sharp breathe through his nostrils.

"Well now Budd," Bill drawled into the following silence; anger flashing even brighter in his eyes, "You just made the first real move in our little Mexican standoff now didn't you?" It was bit a bitter sarcasm; typically Bill, but it was quite obvious that what Budd had just said hurt his normally thick skinned brother down to the core.

Bill looked hurt, oh yes, and not just that but somewhat surprised. Budd was actually standing up to him and not just that, but throwing a little taste of his own cruel medicine back at him. He didn't seemed pleased about it...no, not at all. There was a brief pause, where Bill seemed to be rearing up for a massive outburst, one he had been holding back for decades. There was a few seconds pause, and then he lashed out.

"You fucking asshole," he spat; not moving an inch away from Budd. The two remained face to face. "Of all the people to throw that shit at me, it's you...you fucking good for nothing piece of shit!"

He didn't seem to care about lowering his voice anymore. "Do you forget everything I've done for you...you fucking moron? Think about somebody but myself? What the FUCK have I been doing for the last fucking twenty years!"

That pointing finger now; in Budd's face. "You, Budd...have been nothing but a burden on me; I would have been better off without you. I've known that for years, and still...still I kept you around, because you were decent with a sidearm, and because I felt some stupid fucking obligation to give you a chance in life." He gave a bitter snort, "But, fuck I'm done giving you a chance, you fuck up. You've denied your last chance to be part of anything I do; and it's going to be a real bitch of a world without me to save your sorry ass."

His eyes narrowed, "Ya know, I told that fucking whore of a mother of ours she should have gotten rid of you before you ever saw the light of this world. She unfortunately didn't listen to me, but god dammit...I wish she'd taken my advice. Because, you're a burden Budd, a fucking lazy, unintelligent, crass, uncultured, alcoholic, untalented, piece of honky tonk shit. And you know you're biggest weakness...?" Bill's finger dropped to Budd's chest; turning into a fist and thudding the man right where his heart was; and not without some hostility. "...that..."

Bill smirked sardonically, "You're soft Budd, and you know it. You can't change it...you fucking bleeding heart. You've always been playing second fiddle, and maybe you hate me for it. But I've always been harder, smarter, and colder. You don't belong in a killer's world. You're weak. I think it's time you leave it and stop blaming me for you being such two-bit hack. I've done nothing but try to make you more than you are; congratulations you failed."

Bill took a step back. His brows shot up, "Oh, and I swear to fucking god, if you ever...EVER...say anything so degrading about myself and my daughter again," his eyes darted to the pearl handled Colt sitting on top of the nearby dresser,"...I will fuck you up."

Back to whispering; he crossed his arms over his chest, "I want you out of my house...out of my sight. Consider your employment terminated. I don't need you; I never did. Go away from me. Go die slowly of liver cancer somewhere else Budd."

Budd just bobbed his head up and down slowly. "Right…" He muttered licking his lips apprehensively. Even being a man trained to hide emotion it was easy to see the cast of hurt in the cowboy's eyes. He wasn't about to break down in tears to a weak, feeble man, he'd cure his pain in various other ways, but for now he continued to nod in a method to calm himself. "Well," he began again in a quiet tone.

"I'd say it's been nice knowing ya but," he let out an unsteady chuckle turning his head back to Bill and canting it to the side. "It ain't." He took a step backward as a hand came up to the brim of his hat and tipped it in a farewell gesture before turning around and walking out the door and out of sight.

* * *

The second Budd arrived back home, he packed up. Being taught to pack at a record breaking time and getting an unbelievable amount of crap properly into a bag in record breaking time, he was able to pull it off even now with his insides twisting. Basic necessities; toiletries, underwear, shirts, jeans, another pair of boots, and various pieces of jewelry were stuffed into the duffle bag. Once accomplished in a matter of five minutes he was back out the door; stuffing a caliber pistol in the back hem of his jeans, throwing the duffle in the back of his truck, and screeching out onto the road….leaving a cloud of dust behind.

Now, needless to say Budd was a pretty well put together guy. Not considering his taste for alcohol or coming off as a…moron, he pretty much had it. Well, after what just happened, after what had happened just a few months ago, he wasn't starting to feel all that put together. To say Budd wasn't a man with morals was one thing but to say he didn't have a conscience was another. That was his major downfall. He had a conscience and as Bill so nicely put it; he was a bleeding heart. That was what got him into this mess and what would lead in a sense to his end. The thought was almost sad but Budd wasn't sad. No, he knew what his brother did was wrong and he didn't do a damn thing to stop it. Now having voiced his opinions on a matter that followed up with exactly what his brother did only seemed to worsen things.

He felt a little guilty about it and in time his guilt would only grow with the events that would happen in a few years time. But that was getting a little ahead of the present time and at the present time Budd was feeling pretty shitty. The only way to cure this feeling was his good friend, alcohol. Along with that alcohol came the need to spite Bill in any way possible, without anyone but himself knowing. That's why he was currently turning down the interstate to good old Las Vegas. The one place he could get shit faced to his heart's content.

And no one….no bastard, no bitches, were going to tell him how much of a moron he was, that he was a piece of shit, and not worthy of anything.

It didn't take him long to arrive at his destination, only having stopped a few times along the road and spending a night in some cheap motel, Budd was in the bright city of lights within less than two days time. His first stop was the bank.

If there was anyone to blame for this it'd probably be Bill because Budd's reasons for doing what he was about to do were all because of Bill. In a way it was a manner of spiting him, but in the end all it seemed to do was spite Budd….not that he cared at the moment.

After working for more than ten years at Bill's side, Budd had put away and spent a shit load of money. Most of that money he acquired over the years was wasted on material things, booze, and women….but a good portion of it was stowed away. He wasn't a complete idiot. But right now one would think he was. It took some smooth talking but Budd was able to take out everything, and by everything that meant everything….every last stinking goddamn cent. And what was he planning to do with all of this money? Why, gamble of course.

"Goddamn it all to fucking hell," Budd exasperated slapping down a fist on the counter. Once he had arrived at one of the high pricey casinos he'd cashed in his bucks, got himself some booze, and ventured off into the casino. During his escapade of drowning himself in liquor and helplessly trying to spite his brother, he had attracted a few women. Money did that. Now by the end of the second day of straight through gambling, drinking, fucking and sleeping off hangovers Budd was down to one woman and not all that much money.

"Tough break sweets," cooed the sparkly bikini clad woman hanging on Budd's shoulder. Her pudgy red lips turned down. "Maybe you should save enough for a cab to go home."

"I ain't going home," Budd snapped; looking for another chip to keep him in the game.

"You gonna live here all your life?" The woman asked, keeping her drawling voice close to Budd's ear.

"Fuck," was Budd's only reply as he apparently lost another hand.

"After ya punched that guy last night at that other place…they wasn't too thrilled…"

The cowboy's face snapped around to her his voice hoarse, "Damn it Jane I told you that wasn't my fault."

Jane's down turn in her lips seemed to worsen. "I know," she rubbed a hand against his chest; her bright green eyes coming half lidded. "I just don't want ya getting into trouble." Budd apparently didn't seem to care for this game and got up abruptly; completely ignoring what the 'hooker' said.

She came after him anyway. "How bout we head back to the room." She cut in front of him, her long brown hair swaying. "I got some new tricks I wanna show ya."

Budd gave her a long look. Under the thick coating of booze and slowly vanishing train of thought he was glad Jane stuck around. She was a friend in a way; looking out for him as he drowned himself in a type of self pity. Either that or she was on him for what money he had left, and maybe the fucking too. He rubbed his forehead in hopes to perhaps rub his brain sober. "I don't wanna see any tricks Jane. I just…"

Jane moved closer and hooked her arms around the cowboy's neck, the hooker pulled off a pretty serious expression…for a hooker. "You're a good guy. I can tell. How 'bout I get you a cab and you go get your shit together? You're no good here."

"I don't need your money," he muttered bobbing his head up and down.

Jane smiled knowingly, "Yes, you do." She rather skillfully flipped an arm under Budd's arm and over his shoulder and began to lead the drunken fool out of the casino. "I'm gunna get you a cab. Were should I send ya, Buddy Boy?"

"Don't call me that," Budd muttered again, but his mind was beginning to focus as they came out into the fresher city air.

"Well, you don't got a home right?"

Budd nodded; his eyes flashing momentarily, "Right. No home, no family. Nothin'."

"That's kinda sad."

"No…it's the way things should be."

"Should be or not you gotta go somewhere's." Budd furrowed his brows and started to think real hard. He knew Jane had a point and as much as he wanted to stay in Vegas he had completed what he needed…he spent every fucking cent of the money he earned working for his brother.

"I know where ya can send me," Budd started, but his voice started to soften, "…far from my brother." By the end Budd, the one man Bill ever loved, was going to try his damndest to never acknowledge Bill's existence again.

* * *

"You read the local pa'eps?" Ernie slapped down the local El Paso, Texas Newspaper. There in black and white, on page ten towards the bottom right corner with a smaller blurb was the print; **El Paso Wedding Chapel Massacre, What Next?** The smaller print below the headline went into the massacre that happened nearly four months ago, a few sentence explanation of the wedding party that was ruthlessly gunned down by a death squad which still remains unknown, and the main concern of how safe El Paso really was.

"I dunno Budd. This place is really goin' down the shit hole. Ya used ta have this real quant little town with some great bars an' decent people. Now everyone's crazy as all 'ell about the security, how good the sheriff's office really is. You'd think this place turned inta fuckin' New York City with all a this shit."

Budd was hunched over the newspaper his good friend Ernie had just slapped down in front of the cowboy's face. He wore a gruff expression as he tipped his head down to read the headline. His lips pursed and he quietly pushed the paper to the edge of the counter; dismissing the article.

Ernie continued, "I'm fucking sick of it, man. This has been goin' on for months and they can't get over the goddamn thing. I gotta get outta here, move somewhere were the air is cleaner."

This caught Budd's attention. To show his spark of interest he lifted his head up and tilted his hat back. "Where's the air cleaner?"

"Carol, ya remember her? That hot assed African American that used to take care of my ma? We keep in touch and all. Well her pa just hit the can and left her a shit ass load of cash and his place in Barstow, California. She don't want it and offered it to me."

"Shit," Budd mused. "That's some good timing."

"Hell it is!" Ernie slapped an enthusiastic hand on the counter. "She just gotta work out some legal shit and then its all mine if I want it. So, I think I'm gonna take it while I can."

Budd let out a low chuckle. "Hell, if you didn't want it I'd take it." And that was the damn truth. He'd been hanging out here for almost a month, seeing as he couldn't go back home to Mexico. There was nothing there for him to go back too, that and he was unwanted there.

"Hey!" Ernie perked up. "Why don't ya come with me? Trailers there are shitassed cheap and you'd have no trouble findin' a job. I can ask Carol for a list of some of the bars that are hiring over there."

Budd's spirits seemed to rise but he didn't show it in any psychical manner. "I appreciate that Ernie but I'm gonna haf-ta think about it."

Ernie gave him an earnest look, "Like fucking hell you gotta think. What harm is it gunna do?" He let out a snorted laugh. "Ya'll be livin' in a trailer working as a bouncer in one a those titty bars! That's what ya always wanted, ain't it?"

A hand came up and Budd rubbed at the back of his neck; his features suddenly turned sullen and forlorn. "Yeah…" Maybe Ernie was right. It was what he always wanted. To live his own life, to choose what he wanted to do with it, and as low as it was….he wanted to be a bouncer. But as the idea was beginning to become more of a reality that Budd was willing to accept a new reality hit him. His hand moved to rub at his forehead and settle there. "Ah fuck, I don' have a fucking cent to my name. I can't afford to pay for even a shit assed trailer."

Ernie's lips down turned but he wasn't about to give up and offered another idea, "What about askin' your brother for some dough?"

"No," Budd flat out declined, but seeing how taken aback Ernie was he added more quietly, "We aren't speakin'." There was the slightest spark of regret in his eyes at these words.

"Well," Ernie began more tentatively obviously thinking hard on what he wanted to say next, "I could give ya some of mine…"

"No," Budd held up a protesting hand. "I couldn't ask ya to do that."

Ernie just began to laugh, a loud squeal of a laugh that ended in a snort, "Man, I owe ya so much shit for things ya done for me this wouldn't even pay off half a it. So what ya say?"

Budd gave his old friend a long hard look. Over the past few weeks, when Budd first arrived in El Paso from Las Vegas, Ernie had been kind enough to take in the drunken shit faced cowboy. There Budd had slept off five solid days of self pity; spending a good portion of the time hanging over the toilet, distantly watching television, and sleeping on the pull out couch. It was pathetic, but Ernie was equally so or even more lowly than Budd and he didn't give a rat's ass about Budd hanging there. And what made it even easier was Ernie asked no questions.

This had to be the first day out of many that Budd felt his mind was on both tracks and running smoothly. Here was a chance for something normal, something he chose, and even though it wouldn't heal his guilt at least it was a way to bury it for the time being. With that he gave a tight nod. "Okay, let's do it."

"Ha ha!" Ernie laughed gleefully. "Man, oh man, Budd you aren't gunna fucking regret this!" And with a hearty pat to Budd's back Ernie went off to make the moving arrangements to Barstow, California.

* * *

A small camper trailer stood all by its lonesome in the middle of the barren California wasteland. Standing outside on the metal steps under the hot sun was Bill's brother Budd. He was hardly the 'Slick Willie' Budd with the black suit and a semi automatic in his hands; shooting down a wedding party. No, this Budd is the Budd who was verbally shot down and climbed into a bottle a year ago, got himself comfortable, and decided to live there. He wasn't wearing a shirt, revealing his numerous tattoos he had assorted himself with in his younger years, the 'added weight' was easy to see. He at least had on a pair of faded jeans. Top this all off there was that shit kicking cowboy hat. And there was Budd at his finest.

It wasn't the prettiest sight, but this was what Budd had decided on and what made it work for him was it was his own decision. The past year had been goddamn hard and right now, where he stood in life, he was pretty fucking content. Well….he was content but something was missing; bugging the shit out of him.

So, he made a phone call last night and was now quietly awaiting his guest over a bottle of Jack.

"What a shit hole...," Elle Driver muttered under breath as she sat in the seat of her parked '79 Thunderbird; the loud engine now idly cooling under the hot desert sun.

She lit up a cigarette; squinting with her one eye at the trailer in the close distance, and the man standing in the doorway...waiting for her. The man, who much to her dismay was Budd...once known as Sidewinder. He obviously had changed a bit since they'd last seen one another. Then again, a lot of things were different now.

After a moment, she slid out of the car and slammed the door shut. She gave Budd a half hearted wave with her cigarette bearing hand and began a slow purposeful strut towards the trailer; hips swinging in full typical fashion. She was dressed in a sharp matching pants suit outfit of light cream; the neckline dangerously low and the heels dangerously high; just how she liked it.

"Budd," she muttered when she was close enough to him, "...how wonderful to see you." As usual her tone was somewhere between snidely sarcastic and amusingly bitter. "I just love what you've done with the place..." She gave the camper trailer a sarcastic nod of approval. "Very...charming..."

Budd chuckled, "Yeah, well I'd show you what I did with the inside of it, if it didn't smell like a horse's ass in there." He cleared his throat in a nonchalant manner and set his beer bottle down to the side. This was who he made his call to; Elle Driver. The last woman in the world Budd found himself wanting to call, but he had to. He peered up at the one-eyed blonde, taking in all of the hate, and then settling.

He didn't want to beat around the bush, but Budd was never very good at that. He didn't want Elle here, interfering with his new life, but he had called her here and it had a purpose…he just wasn't going to give that reason away just yet. He pursed his lips and then questioned, "So, how ya been Elle? Haven't seen your boney ass in a year. It's uh…" he canted his head as if to try and get a side angle of Elle's backside. "…still bony ain't it?" He flashed that classic dopey smile and sat up straight. "Ya look good." He gave a reassuring nod to that with the tip of his cowboy hat.

"Thank you," Elle cooed; red glossy lips curving into an amused smile; always a girl to take a compliment. "I'd say the same for you Budd...but I think I'd be making myself a lair if I did." She smiled at that, and it wasn't an entirely kind smile either.

She then took a long pull on her cigarette, looking around with some annoyance for some place to sit. There was a bent up rusty lawn chair to her right, and it seemed she had to settle for that, seeing as there was nothing else but a dirty barbeque and an even dirtier looking tarp nearby.

"I've been good," she remarked; settling herself into the chair with obvious disgust. She knocked some ashes from her cigarette onto the dusty ground and continued on, "...I can't say I've missed having your drunk ass around, but I suppose it's not so bad seein' ya after a year."

Her eye narrowed a bit as she looked at him again; perhaps this time with a little suspicion as to exactly why she was here. Instead, she pursed her lips and crossed one long leg over the other. "I suppose you want me to fill you in all of the dirt...eh?" She tilted her head to the side. "Or...perhaps not?"

Budd nodded his head, "Na, I wanna know all the dirt you got for me." He fixed his hard, mid-afternoon glossy stare in the willowy blonde's direction. Before he'd departed Mexico, the last thing he recalled was the squad was running on thin ice. Tensions were high for months while Bill disgustingly waited for his kid to incubate, but Budd hadn't stayed around to see what happened after that.

He leaned back a little, stretching his leg out into the sandy patch of ground below. He attempted a laugh, "Shit, I've been in the dark for a year. Ain't no nothing on no one. I'm just glad you still had the same fucking cell phone number."

"Hrm, yes...well...maybe I'll change it now," Elle muttered darkly; flicking more cigarette ashes onto the ground. Turning her attention back to Budd; she leaned back in the rusty creaking lawn chair. "The dirt eh...yeah I should have known that's what you wanted."

She took another long puff. "Well...," she started with relish; blowing an impressive smoke ring, "...let's see here...Vern was the first to leave. Apparently, she'd been seeing some fucking doctor type of asshole for months...didn't tell anyone of course. Then, the stupid bitch gets knocked up," she snorted bitterly, "...and she decides she wants out...wants to get married and all of that shit. So," she shrugged, "...Bill let her leave. She's somewhere in this godforsaken state, although...I'd take a guess and say she ain't livin' in no trailer," she drawled mockingly.

She paused for a few seconds; smoking in silence. "O-Ren of course you could have guessed. Bill backed her in her little yakuza plan. She took off to Tokyo a few months ago. Last we heard she'd secured herself on the top of that food chain...not without some good old bloody violence of course," she smirked. "Bill's lawyer Sofie...you remember that French-Jap bitch, went with her...I didn't cry over that one..."

This time Elle's pause between Viper's was longer, but eventually she spoke up again. "Bill's well..." Her voice took on a different tone now. "He has that awful baby now you know...he spends a lot of time with her." There was no missing the twinge of jealousy now. "He's still pretty much the same though...a real fucking bastard." She smiled fondly at that. "He moved...further south. It's a nice place." Her gaze fixed on Budd. "He talks about you sometimes...I think at least he'd like to know where you are..."

But that apparently was about as far Elle's compassion went, and she switched gears again. "Then of course there's good old me." She laughed; snubbing out her butt of a cigarette on the plastic arm of the chair. "I'm still the same fun loving, kind hearted, bitch you know and love. It seems I'm also the only one who has the loyalty to stick with Bill." She sneered. "Oh...and Beatrix...," her expression darkened again. "She's still alive...I was this close to killing her," she put her pointer finger and thumb together, "...right there Budd..needle in hand. And then...Bill called it off...she's still out there...alive...lying in a fucking hospital bed…..." She trailed off; staring blankly across the desert for a few long moments.

Finally, she brought her attention back to the man in front of her. "And that just leaves you Budd..." She smirked again; back to her usual self.

Budd took in everything he heard while finishing off his beer. He wasn't surprised by much. Vernita getting hitched was nice to hear and he did hope good things for her future. O-Ren, he wanted to laugh. He always knew she'd rule the world, or in this case the Tokyo Underground.

And then there was Bill. It was good to know his brother was doing…well and he was still a fucking bastard. That just wouldn't be Bill. But it was good to hear he was spending time with B.B., whether it was right or wrong.

The fact that Beatrix was still alive made Budd wonder if he got through to Bill, if not a little…or if Bill did feel that tinge of guilt that Budd felt. Whatever it was she was still out there, not that she was ever gunna wake up, but the idea was…daunting.

He tossed the empty beer bottle to the side, it rolled through the dirt and stopped a few feet from the tin garbage can. "Looks like everyone's doing pretty goddamn good," he concluded a little dully. He shifted, clearing his throat up, "I hung out gambling in Las Vegas after I left Mexico. Then I hung up at a pal of mine's place in El Paso. Got pretty shitty there, so I moved out here."

He looked over to Elle, squinting past the sun rays. "I'm a working at a titty bar a few miles down the road as a bouncer." He laughed lightly with a wide grin on his face. "Pay is shitty and I can't say I like the company. Got this roof over my head though," he motioned to the shit assed trailer he was planted on. "Food, couple a women, yup," he pursed his lips. "It's all good here."

"Well...isn't that good to hear," Elle replied dryly; eying Budd with a small amount of disdain. "A titty bar eh? Sounds like your kinda place Budd...maybe you have finally found your true calling." She sneered at her little veiled insult; digging out a pack of cigarettes from her blazer pocket.

Lighting up, she squinted at him through the smoke, "Why don't you come back? I mean...shit, you've gotta miss the money, heh..no...I know you miss the money. And the company has gotta be better than some slutty big titted bitches...and whoever else lives out in this hell hole. Even I'm better than that. Besides," she paused; looking away from him, "...I know your brother would like to see you again..."

Budd flat out laughed at that. "I dunno if you heard the news darlin'," his laughter started to die away. "But Bill and I aren't talking and I highly doubt he wants to see me again, since he's the one that told me to get the hell away from him." He then turned silent a moment. He did miss the money, he missed the money a lot but he could live without the money. He couldn't live to go back home and watch Bill do what he was doing.

He finally shook his head. "Even if you aren't lyin' outta your ass and Bill would really like to see me again I ain't going. I'm good here…and I do like what I'm doing."

Elle didn't seem all that surprised at Budd's reaction. She just pursed her lips tightly. "Well...just so ya know, I didn't say all of that because Bill wanted me to. He doesn't need me to be his little messenger and solve his stupid fucking feud with you, and it is stupid." She frowned. "Yeah, and I know what he said to you...but that doesn't mean he meant it..."

She suddenly waved a hand; standing up, "Bah..forget it...you are a stubborn fuck if I ever knew one. I don't like you enough to try and convince you any more...but shit, I thought I'd give it a shot since I came all the way out to this fucking shit hole." She didn't answer to his accusation of lying out of her ass one way or another. Honesty and Elle often did not go together.

Shaking out her long mane of blonde hair; she fixed Budd with her one eyed icy glare. "Ya know Budd, I think your biggest problem has always been that you never really had any balls. Well...that and you can be a real piece of shit...but I'd make a bet that if you came back, Bill would be willing to put some of that shit aside. But," she laughed bitterly, "...you won't, so I'll stop wasting my time trying to talk any sense into you."

Budd wasn't all that hurt or angered by what Elle said. He had heard enough from Bill a year ago to pretty much level it out. He nonchalantly rubbed an itch on his nose and then planted the same hand on the tip of his cowboy hat. He tilted his head up and to the side, his demeanor considerably placid. "Well, I didn't ask you to come here to try and convince me to come back." As much as he knew Elle didn't give much of a damn about him he was somehow…touched…that she had been willing to try and get him to come home. Either that or Bill made her.

He let silence linger between them. The soft whoosh of the desert air the only sound until Budd blinked and fixed his hard gaze on the woman in front of him. He started, "I ain't talking to Bill for as long as I can help it. And I wasn't gunna even think about him but that turned out to be a bit harder than I thought. So," his hand fell back to his thigh. "I asked ya here not just because I missed your fucking ass." He gave her a well meaningfully smirk.

"But I need a favor. You're close to Bill. Hell, you two are probably fucking every night. Shit, that's fucked up," he chuckled darkly. "But, anywho, I was thinkin' we could talk. I'm not saying you gotta drag yourself down here every few months but if ya don't change that cell number we could talk. You can give me the dirt, I'll give you some dirt which I'm pretty fucking sure you'll give back to Bill and then that's it." He paused, flashing her one of those wide dopey smiles. "Whataya say?"

Elle's lips curved up into that trademark sneer, "Awwww...I'm real touched Budd." That familiar mixed tone of syrup and venom in full swing. She laughed a little, but it quickly died down. Instead, she took a few long drags off her cigarette; turning to look away from him out towards the desert.

She was silent for a good minute; which generally meant that she was mulling over the daunting prospect of actually being reasonable or instead being a complete bitch. When Elle was reasoning over things, it usually meant that whatever it was had passed her first knee jerk reaction to tell it to go fuck itself. So, at least Budd had made it that far.

"Yeah...alright," she finally muttered; sounding a little defeated. She turned back to him, raising a finger in a gesture that was so Bill-like it was a little creepy, "But don't ask me to be all fuckin' nice to you...or feel bad for you because you've decided to make a loser out of yourself. I'll tell you what I can...I guess." She shrugged; crossing her arms. "And I suppose Bill will be happy to know that he can get a hold of you...in some way..."

Budd laughed in satisfaction. In the back of his mind he was worried that Elle was just going to tell him to go fuck himself, but then she came around. He didn't want to guess why because it probably had nothing to do with him personally. She was still a hateful bitch and he was still the shit faced cowboy.

The laughter cut off into a classic smile. "I really appreciate this, Elle. But I'm not gunna go showin' my gratitude because I know you don't want it. Now you can head on home back to Bill and give 'em the good news. Don't go giving him my fucking regards but say 'hi' to the kid for me," he trailed off a moment his look turning curious. "How's that goin' by the way?"

"Fine," Elle replied shortly; her semi-warm mood dropping to something closer to that found in Antarctica. "Just fucking fine...shit I don't know Budd, because I don't give a flying fuck about that brat," she spat; obviously losing control on her brain to mouth filter for the moment. "How about I tell Bill to tell her 'hi' for you...since all he seems to do is talk and talk and talk and fucking talk to that kid." She snorted, "Even though she doesn't know what the hell he's talking about, he just keeps on talkin' to her, and lookin' at her like she's the best goddamn thing he's ever seen."

Elle had never hid jealousy all that well.

She took a quick and hasty drag off her cigarette and flicked it into the dirt. "Yeah...whatever..." She sniffed; raising her chin. "Anyways, I've gotta split; things to do, people to kill...you know the old routine." She managed a tight smile. "Yeah so...call me whenever, but not too late at night alright?" She didn't give her reasons for that. "And I don't want to hear any fucking bitching and moaning out of you...I'm done trying to get you to come back; just the dirt, like we agreed."

Pivoting a little, she threw him a glance over her shoulder. "Well...you take care now Budd. Maybe you can try playing the Lotto or something...poor people are always trying that shit to get rich." She flashed a sharp smile. "Adios."

With that, she sauntered off in full style; heading for her parked car. Within seconds she was peeling out of the large desert area; kicking up dust in her wake.

The lone cowboy fanned a hand across his face to dissipate the gathering desert dust. Brown eyes squinted out at the sun over the vast mountain tops as the rickety wheels in his head started to turn. He never wanted it to come to this. He spent a good year trying to rid his thoughts, money, feelings, and entire life style of his brother and now that had all gone to hell. As much as Budd…disliked…his brother he could never forget blood. That was it, Bill was like blood; pulsing, dark, and it was always there, moving through your veins and no matter how hard you tried you couldn't rid yourself of blood…unless you wanted to die….and Budd sure as hell didn't want to die.

But then again there were so many things that got under his skin! It all started at the beginning; he should have voiced his opinion when Bill and Beatrix first started fucking around. He was never against it. If Bill was happy let him be happy. But he was always a little cautious about it. Beatrix was a bitch and a smart one and let him be a womanizer but those two together was never a good thing. He just felt some strange obligation to protect his older brother, not that that ever worked. Bill didn't need any protection.

So, Budd stayed out of it. Not that his thoughts were ever heard…but if anyone had ever listened to him…they'd all probably be a lot better off.

But, alas, that was not the case and Budd had to deal with the present. His present life in a shit assed trailer with a shit assed job, not that he didn't like his new life style because he chose it. This was his life now, he bought this upon himself, and as much as he had enjoyed the life that Bill gave him it was something different to be able to look at his life and know that everything he did had lead to what was before him.

Well, there was a lot of shit he could keep on thinking about but work was calling and he was late. Larry'd have his ass about it but such was life and at the moment, give or take the bad Budd was pretty content.


End file.
